Belswains Primary School

Belswains Primary School

Dates of inspection: 29 th November to 2 nd December 1999

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Belswains Primary School

Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Barnfield Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP3 9QJ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body of Belswains Primary school.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 6 th to 10 th March 1995

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the appropriate authority must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. Every registered parent of a registered pupil at the school should receive a free copy of the summary of the report within ten working days of receipt of the summary by the appropriate authority. A charge not exceeding the cost of supply may be made by the appropriate authority for any other copies of the report and/or its summary provided to any person who asks for one. The appropriate authority should make a copy of the report and the summary available for inspection by members of the public at such times and at such a place as may be reasonable Any enquiries about this legislation should be addressed to the OFSTED Compliance Helpline Tel. 0171421 6567 Belswains Primary School -3

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Terry Elston, RgI Science, Information technology, Design and technology. Attainment and progress, Teaching, Leadership and management, Efficiency, Pupils with special educational needs, Pupils with English as an additional language. Sally Hall, Lay Inspector Attitudes, behaviour and personal development, Attendance, Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare, Partnerships with parents and the community, Spiritual, moral, social and cultural provision, Alan Britton Mathematics, History, Geography, Physical education. Children under five, Staffing, accommodation and learning resources. Audrey Quinnell English, Art, Music, Religious education. Curriculum and assessment, Equal opportunities,

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Phoenix Educational Consultants “Thule” 60 Joy Lane Whitstable Kent, CT5 4LT

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints which are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Belswains Primary School -4

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What the school does well

• .Pupils’ standards in the current Year 6 are above the national average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils make good progress from their average levels when they enter the school. • .The quality of teaching is good overall, and particularly effective in Key Stage 2, where lessons are consistently demanding and exciting, and in the Nursery, where activities are appropriate for this age group, and there is a buzz of activity in lessons. • .The leadership is good. The headteacher and deputy work well together, and are effectively supported by an enthusiastic governing body. All are committed to raising standards. • .Relationships in the school are of a high quality. • .The school has very good relationships with parents. They are well informed, and make a very significant contribution to pupils’ learning. • . The assessment of pupils is very good, and is used well by teachers to plan appropriate work.

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What the school does well

· Where the school has weaknesses I.Standards are below average in information technology. The school is short of essential equipment to teach information technology at Key Stage 2, and pupils have too few opportunities to develop the necessary skills to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. II.The curriculum for children under five in the Reception class is too formal, and is not sufficiently based upon the nationally agreed outcomes for children of this age. They have too few opportunities to develop their independence. In addition, this class has insufficient access to the play equipment to develop their play and physical skills to the full. III.The school’s unauthorised absence rate is too high, and this affects pupils' progress. IV.Occasionally, pupils with special educational needs are withdrawn from assembly for extra reading work, and miss the chance for collective worship, and to celebrate pupils’ achievements.

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What the school does well

V.The school’s development plan sets targets for only the year ahead, and this provides too little long term planning.

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governors’ action plan, which will be sent to all parents or guardians of pupils at the school

· How the school has improved since the last inspection The leadership has made a very good response to the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection, and works to a well-structured action plan. There were significant weaknesses in teaching in the last inspection. The school has responded vigorously to these criticisms. It addressed shortcomings in teachers’ knowledge effectively by making good use of in-service training, and enlisting the support of the Local Education Authority’s advisers. The headteacher has improved the monitoring of the teaching, and these measures have improved the quality of teaching significantly. Weaknesses in the curriculum have been addressed well; schemes of work are now in place, and of good quality. The pupils’ learning has been improved: they now have more opportunities to solve problems and work independently, and this is helping more able pupils, in particular, to reach high standards. The

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governors’ action plan, which will be sent to all parents or guardians of pupils at the school

headteacher monitors these improvements well, by regular collection of pupils’ books, and by careful analysis of their progress. Standards of attainment are higher, overall, than in the previous inspection, and in English, mathematics and science, pupils in their final year have improved from below the national average to above in all three subjects. Pupils’ work in information technology, however, is still below average. Weaknesses in the monitoring of pupils’ progress have been very successfully addressed. The deputy headteacher has led the school very well in improving its assessment procedures, and these are now very good. The school has improved its value for money from unsatisfactory to good. In view of the good leadership, and good teaching, the school is well placed to make further improvements. Belswains Primary School -7 · Standards in subjects

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governors’ action plan, which will be sent to all parents or guardians of pupils at the school

This table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds in 1999 based on the National Curriculum tests:

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similar schools

· Key well above average A above average B English E E* average C Mathematics E E* below average D Science D D well below average E

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similar schools

The table shows that pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics was well below the national average, and very low compared with pupils from schools with similar numbers of pupils eligible for free school meals. In science, pupils’ attainment was below that of schools nationally, and that of similar schools. These scores were attained by a group of pupils which included a very high proportion with special educational needs, and English as an additional language. All these pupils had, in fact, made good progress from their levels in the national assessment tests at Key Stage 1. The findings of the inspection show that pupils’ attainment is much higher in the present Year 6, and is above average now in all three subjects. By Year 6, standards are also above average in religious education, art and music. Pupils’ work is average elsewhere, except in information technology, where they have too narrow a range of

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similar schools

experience. At Key Stage 1, pupils’ work is average in all subjects, except art, where their painting, drawing and mixing of colours are above average. Children under five attain average levels overall. They make sound progress in all areas, apart from in their independence and physical skills, where the weaknesses in the curriculum and lack of outdoor play facilities have a limiting effect. ·

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Quality of teaching

· Teaching in Under 5 5 – 7 years 7 – 11 years

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Quality of teaching

English Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Mathematics Good Satisfactory Good Science N/a Satisfactory Good Information technology N/a Satisfactory Insufficient evidence Religious education N/a Satisfactory Good Other subjects Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory · · The teaching at the school is good overall. Ninety six per cent of lessons are at least satisfactory and only two lessons out of 53 were unsatisfactory. More than half the lessons were good, and nearly one in five was very good. The teaching of children under five is satisfactory overall, but it is best in the Nursery, where over two thirds of lessons were very good, and all were at least good. In the Reception, whilst teaching is satisfactory, no lessons were good, and one was unsatisfactory. At Key Stage 2, the teaching is very good, with 60 per cent of lessons good, and well over one quarter very good. Teaching is of high quality in Year 6, where five out of seven lessons were very good. Overall, this represents a

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Quality of teaching

significant improvement from the previous inspection, particularly at Key Stage 2, where teaching was unsatisfactory at that time. Belswains Primary School -8

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Good overall. Most lessons are calm and orderly. Good behaviour around the school. Pupils are polite and courteous. Attendance Unsatisfactory overall. Attendance is around the national average, but unauthorised absence is nearly double the national average. The school discovered that pupils who were often absent without good reason performed relatively poorly in mathematics. Ethos* Very good. There is a strong commitment to raising standards, very good relationships and good climate for learning in classes. Leadership and management Good. Strong leadership from the headteacher and deputy identifies school’s weaknesses, and addresses them with vigour. Good governing body, often in evidence in the school. Well led by an experienced and very committed Chair. Curriculum Good. Broad and balanced (apart from information technology) and provides a clear structure for teachers to use in their lesson planning.

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Aspect Comment

Very good assessment. Pupils with special educational needs Sound provision. Some good teaching, and knowledgeable support from classroom assistants. Pupils’ individual targets, however, often too vague to ensure they make the best progress. Good support for pupils with English as an additional language. Spiritual, moral, social & cultural development Good overall. Sound spiritual provision, with some good, moving assemblies. Good moral provision teaches pupils clear ideas of right and wrong. Good social provision accounts for high quality of relationships. Good cultural provision gives pupils a wide knowledge of music, art and the richness of other cultures. Staffing, resources and accommodation Good, well balanced staff. Good number of well trained classroom assistants. Very good training for staff. Good accommodation provides bright and stimulating environment. Good resources, except for shortages of equipment in information technology.

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Aspect Comment

Value for money Good. Good teaching, above average attainment at Key Stage 2, good progress set against slightly higher than average costs. · *Ethos is the climate for learning: attitudes to work, relationships and the commitment to high standards. ·

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

VI. Good standards of work. VII. Consistently good teaching. VIII. Good behaviour. IX. Excellent information. X. Good support for parents with English as an additional language. XI. Too much homework given. XII. Not enough information technology Belswains Primary School -9 Inspectors confirm parents’ views about the school’s strengths. Of the few criticisms mentioned by parents, the provision of homework is satisfactory, and is helping to raise standards. Information technology is often omitted from the timetable, and most teachers try to include these activities alongside other subjects. This does, however, lead to differences in provision from class to class.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

The governors, headteacher and staff should address the following matters in writing the action plan, in order to raise standards and improve the provision the school makes still further. (Numbers in brackets indicate paragraphs commenting on these weaknesses)

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by:

a. ensuring that pupils in Key Stage 2 have the necessary equipment and software to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum; b. making information technology a specific lesson on the timetable, to give consistent provision through the school. (16, 43, 74, 78, 83, 133, 135, 137, 138)

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1 Develop the provision for children under five by:

a. using the nationally agreed targets and strategies for these children in both classes, focusing particularly on the development of their skills of independence and discovery; b. making available appropriate toys and climbing equipment for children in the Reception class; c. introducing joint planning in the two classes, thus ensuring a steady development of pupils’ progress from the Nursery to Year 1. (25, 26, 27, 30, 38, 50, 77, 82, 83, 90, 91, 92, 95, 96)

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1 Develop the provision for children under five by:

1 Search for more effective means to reduce unauthorised absence. (35, 62)

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1 Develop the provision for children under five by:

4 Ensure that pupils with special educational needs are not withdrawn from assemblies. ( 46, 54, 78)

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1 Develop the provision for children under five by:

In addition to the key issues above, the following less important weaknesses should be considered for inclusion in the action plan.

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1 Develop the provision for children under five by:

• Address minor omissions in the school’s prospectus. • Make targets in the plans for pupils with special educational needs more specific, and measurable. • Extend the time scale of the school development plan to cover developments over the next three or four years, thereby giving the school a more effective, long term view of its priorities. Belswains Primary School -10 · INTRODUCTION · Characteristics of the school

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1 Develop the provision for children under five by:

1.Belswains Primary School is of average size, with 202 full-time pupils from five to 11 years old. There are 111 boys and 91 girls. In addition, there are 26 children who attend the Nursery for mornings only. Children move from the Nursery to the Reception at the start of the term in which they are five. The numbers have increased steadily since the amalgamation of the infants and juniors in 1994 when there were 149 on the school’s roll. 2.This is a mixed area in social and economic terms. Few adults in the area have higher educational qualifications and most pupils live in council owned homes. However, many new houses have been built around the school, and a growing number of pupils come from professional families living in privately owned houses. A large proportion of children live with only one parent. The attainment of pupils on entry is average overall but varies widely from a significant proportion of pupils with marked learning difficulties to a similar

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1 Develop the provision for children under five by:

number who attain high standards. Over 36 per cent of full time pupils are designated as having special educational needs, which is above average, but none has a statement of special educational need, which is below average. Over 16 per cent of pupils come from ethnic minority groups, and over 12 per cent of pupils have English as an additional language. Both of these figures are high compared with other schools. Over ten per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average. 3.The school has agreed targets for pupils to achieve in English and mathematics with the Local Education Authority. The school’s current priorities focus on raising pupils’ attainment in literacy, numeracy and information technology, and improving standards achieved by pupils from ethnic minority groups. The aims of the school emphasise the need to give all pupils access to a balanced curriculum, to provide a safe and

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1 Develop the provision for children under five by:

caring environment and for pupils to develop the skills and confidence to reach their full potential.

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4. Attainment at Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for latest reporting year: 1999 Year Boys Girls Total

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Test/Task Results

Number of pupils Boys 14 13 15 at NC Level 2 or Girls 15 15 15 above Total 29 28 30 Percentage at NC School 91(75) 88(69) 95(94) Level 2 or above National 82(80) 83(81) 87(84)

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Teacher Assessments

Reading Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 14 13 15 at NC Level 2 or Girls 15 15 15 above Total 29 28 30 Percentage at NC School 91(75) 88(91) 94(84) Level 2 or above National 82(81) 86(85) 87(86) 4. (figures in brackets refer to the previous year) Belswains Primary School -11 Attainment at Key Stage 2

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2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for latest reporting year: 1999 Year Boys Girls Total

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Results

Number of pupils Boys 7 7 11 at NC Level 4 or Girls 5 4 6 above Total 12 10 17 Percentage at NC School 55(70) 45(47) 78(93) Level 4 or above National 70(65) 69(59) 78(69)

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Teacher Assessments

English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 6 7 7 at NC Level 4 or Girls 5 4 7 above Total 11 11 14 Percentage at NC School 50(69) 50(46) 64(67) Level 4 or above National 68(65) 69(65) 75(72) 4.

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Attendance

Percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year: 1997/98 %

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Attendance

Authorised School 4.4 Absence National comparative data 5.7 Unauthorised School 1.0 Absence National comparative data 0.5 4.

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Exclusions

Number of exclusions of pupils (of statutory school age) during the previous year: 1998/99 Number

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Quality of teaching

Percentage of teaching observed which is: % Very good or better 19 Satisfactory or better 96 Less than satisfactory 4 Belswains Primary School -12 4.

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Attainment and progress

1.Analysis of the national end of Key Stage 2 tests for 1999 shows that standards in English at the expected Level 4 and above, and at the higher Level 5, were well below the national average. Pupils’ attainment in English, compared with those in similar schools, was very low. When the end of Key Stage 2 test results are compared with those reached in 1997 and 1998, they show that, although standards were rising, there was a sharp drop in 1999. Evidence indicates that this was due to the high proportion of pupils who had special educational needs, and pupils who had English as an additional language, within the year group. This cohort performed poorly in all subjects. Nevertheless, a value- added analysis shows that these pupils made sound progress from their results in the national assessment tests at Key Stage 1. Very ambitious targets for improvement have been set in English, and the school is making good progress towards achieving them. This inspection’s findings indicate no

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Attainment and progress

current significant variations in the attainment of boys and girls, or pupils with English as an additional language compared with pupils whose first language is English. 2.In mathematics in the Key Stage 2 national assessment tests, pupils attained well below average standards. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 was also well below the national average. There was no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls in these tests. Taking the three years from 1997 to 1999, performance overall in mathematics was rising until the lower results of this year. When the test results are compared with similar schools, standards were very low. The value-added analysis for mathematics shows that pupils made sound progress from the Key Stage 1 tests. Boys and girls performed equally well, and there were no significant differences between the attainment of different ethnic groups.

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Attainment and progress

3.In science, the 1999 end of Key Stage 2 national assessment tests show that pupils’ attainment was below the national average, and below average compared with similar schools. In the three years from 1996 to 1998, attainment rose from well below the national average to well above, but dropped back this year. Nevertheless, over three-quarters of pupils attained the national standard, and a value-added analysis shows that, overall, pupils made very good progress from their results at Key Stage 1. The proportion of pupils exceeding the national expectation, and attaining Level 5, was in line with that of schools nationally, and that of similar schools. There were no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls, or different ethnic groups. 4.In this inspection, seven months after the national assessment tests, standards have risen dramatically in all three subjects. The cohort is more balanced in terms of pupils with special educational needs and

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Attainment and progress

higher attaining pupils this year. 5.In English, pupils’ standards of attainment in speaking and listening are above average at the end of Key Stage 2. Nearly all pupils speak clearly and confidently, both in small groups and to a wider audience. They listen attentively both to their teachers and to other pupils. The present standards in speaking and listening are higher than those reported in the previous inspection. 6.By the end of Key Stage 2, standards of attainment in reading are above average. Most pupils share their ideas thoughtfully, and read a range of texts with good expression and understanding. A significant number of higher attaining pupils read challenging material well, and use the more advanced reading skills of prediction, deduction and inference with confidence. Standards in reading are higher than those in the last inspection. 7.By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment in writing is average overall. Most pupils spell

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Attainment and progress

commonly used words accurately, and demonstrate sound skills when writing for a variety of purposes. Most pupils present their work well, written in a neat, legible, fluent joined style, although some still use printing in Years 5 and 6. Standards have improved in writing from the previous inspection. Belswains Primary School -13 8.In mathematics, the findings of this inspection indicate that, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils attain standards that are above the national average. These findings show an improvement on the judgement of the last inspection, where standards were found to be barely in line with national expectations. 9.By Year 6, most pupils make good use of their knowledge of addition and subtraction principles in problem solving and investigation exercises. In their numeracy work, they have a good knowledge of their multiplication tables from two to ten, and convert percentages to fractions easily. They have a

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Attainment and progress

good understanding of place value up to a 1000, and divide by tens and hundreds with decimal answers with above average skill. In their data handling work, they select and collect data very competently, and use this data with ease to compile frequency charts, block graphs, pie charts and line graphs. 10.In science, the findings of the inspection indicate that, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment overall is above average, and a significant proportion of pupils are attaining high standards. This reflects a significant improvement from the findings of the previous inspection, when standards were below average. The school has responded well to the shortcomings in the planning and teaching criticised last time, and has raised standards significantly as a result. 11.In science, by Year 6, pupils have an above average understanding of forces, and conduct good investigations on the weight of objects using forcemeters. They predict the weight of these objects in

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Attainment and progress

Newtons with good accuracy, and produce clear bar charts of their results. Most pupils have a good understanding of how plants and animals reproduce, and show by experimentation how sycamore seeds are designed to float to earth. 12.At Key Stage 2, in information technology, pupils’ attainment is below that found nationally. They produce some average work using a wordprocessor, but have had little experience of spreadsheets, complex data bases, or modelling programs. The school has few adventure simulation programs, and no means to sense changes in materials or to develop pupils’ ability to control robotic devices or plot the movements of shapes across the screen. In religious education, pupils’ attainment is above the locally Agreed Syllabus, and many have a good knowledge of different religions around the world. Pupils work at levels expected of their ages in all other subjects, except in art and music, where their attainment is

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Attainment and progress

higher than normally found. In art, pupils demonstrate good skills in their observational pencil drawings and paintings of a range of objects, with much attention to tone, detail and pattern. By Year 6, pupils’ exceptional pencil drawings of everyday objects show their good attention to size, form, shape, space and tone. In music, Year 6, pupils’ good skills are shown by their awareness of how the key musical elements help to produce mood and feeling in a piece of music. Many are adept at discerning and playing beats in differing times, and many pupils read correct musical notation well. 13.At Key Stage 1, analysis of the national assessment tests for 1999 shows that standards in reading, at the expected Level 2 and above, were above the national average, and well above the national average at Level 3 or above. In writing, standards at Level 2 or above were close to the national average, but

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Attainment and progress

below the national average at Level 3 or above. When the school’s test data is compared with that of similar schools, it shows that standards are above average for reading at Levels 2 and 3, and average for writing at Level 2, but below for Level 3. When the test results for 1999 are compared with 1997 and 1998, they show a trend of sharply rising standards. The data for 1999 shows under-attainment by boys compared with that of girls in English. The findings of the inspection indicate higher attainment by girls compared with that of boys. 14.At Key Stage 1, in mathematics, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected Level 2 was above average nationally, and in comparison with similar schools. Pupils’ performance in the higher Level 3 was well above the national average, and that of similar schools. Trends in test results over the last three years show a sharp rise in standards from 1997 to 1998 and this standard being maintained in

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Attainment and progress

1999. The overall trend of school performance is still above the rising national trend. There is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls, or different ethnic groups. 15.At Key Stage 1 in science, pupils’ results in the 1999 teachers’ assessments were above both the national average, and that of similar schools. The trend is upwards. The school made significant improvements in science between 1997 and 1999. There are no significant differences between boys and girls, or different ethnic groups. 16.This inspection finds that pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is lower than in the 1999 national assessment tests in English, mathematics and science. Pupils entered the school at below Belswains Primary School -14 average levels in most areas, and have made sound progress to attain average levels in all three subjects. 17.In the current Year 2, in English, pupils’ attainment is similar to that reported in the previous

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Attainment and progress

inspection. Standards in speaking and listening are average at the end of Key Stage 1. By the end of the key stage, pupils describe, converse and narrate at levels appropriate for their age and most speak confidently. Standards in reading are average. Most read accurately: many can work out new simple words by splitting them into sounds, and nearly all have a sound store of memorised words to call upon. Standards of attainment in writing are average. Nearly all pupils write simple sentences competently, combine with reasonable skill to form a story or poem and make a good attempt at simple punctuation and spelling. 18.In mathematics, by Year 2, pupils’ standards are average. This judgement is an improvement on the findings of the last OFSTED inspection, when some low attainment was found in mathematics, especially with more able pupils. Pupils talk about their mathematical work using appropriate

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Attainment and progress

vocabulary, and are beginning to discuss and explain their work with average skill. In their numeracy work, they have a good understanding of the place value of hundreds, tens and units, and use this knowledge well to add and subtract two digit numbers. Most have a sound knowledge of the two, five and ten times tables, and work out the coinage necessary for money transactions up to 20 pence with reasonable accuracy. They have a sound understanding of half and quarter fractions of shapes, but struggle when calculating quarters of numbers. 19.In science, Year 2 pupils’ experimental work is average, but their recording of their work is often brief. They conduct average experiments to show how wind propels yachts and elevates kites, and make good working balloon ‘rockets’ to demonstrate how air pressure can move objects. Their work on forces is average, and most understand how to increase the elevation of a ramp to make a toy train go

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Attainment and progress

further. Pupils have a sound knowledge of the human body. They name the main limbs and organs, and have a sound understanding of the senses. 20.Pupils’ attainment is average in all other subjects in Key Stage 1, apart from in art, where their painting, drawing and colour mixing skills are above average. 21.The attainment of children under five is average overall by the time they enter Year 1. Most children make sound progress in their social and personal development during their first period in school, and nearly all achieve the desirable outcomes in this area of learning by the time they are five. The lack of sufficient opportunities in the Reception class for independent work, however, restricts children’s attainment in this area. They show confidence in talking to their teachers and other adults, and answer questions well. A minority of children develop average language and literacy skills, and achieve the

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Attainment and progress

outcomes in these areas of learning by the time they are five, but a significant number struggle to read and use books at a level usually found in five year olds. They listen attentively to their teachers. Children’s attainment in mathematics is in line with that expected for this age group; most children recognise and order numbers up to ten, and nearly all form and write numbers up to five without assistance. 22.Most children have an average knowledge and understanding of the world. Nearly all talk with average skill about where they live, their families, their home and school environment. They react well to the opportunities presented to them to explore and recognise objects and materials in their scientific activities. Children’s physical development is average, but the lack of outside apparatus and facilities for the Reception class limits their ability to make the best possible progress in their physical

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Attainment and progress

development. Most are reasonably confident in their movement, and have sound co-ordination, both in body movement and in using small apparatus and equipment. In their creative development, most children explore, with average skill, colour, texture, shape and form in two and three dimensions through their painting, drawing, modelling, cutting and sticking activities. In their musical activities, children recognise and make ‘short’ and ‘long’ sounds with percussion instruments with reasonable skill. 23.Pupils make good progress through the school. They begin with average skills, and generally attain above average levels by Year 6. Children under five make a good start in the Nursery, helped by consistently good teaching and appropriately challenging activities. They develop a thirst for learning, and are keen to take on new challenges. Progress is steady in the Reception class, but loses momentum

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Attainment and progress

when the curriculum provides insufficient opportunities for children to improve their skills through Belswains Primary School -15 exploration, and thereby develop their independence. At Key Stage 1, pupils make sound progress, and build sound foundations for Key Stage 2. In the lessons observed in Key Stage 1, pupils made at least sound progress in nearly all lessons, and good progress in more than one lesson in three. Pupils make good progress in art, and sound gains in all other subjects. 24.In the lessons observed in Key Stage 2, pupils made at least sound progress in all lessons, good progress in six out of ten lessons and very good gains in more than one lesson in eight. They make sound progress in Years 3 and 4, and very good progress in Years 5 and 6 to attain above average standards in most subjects. The quality of teaching in Years 5 and 6 is consistently demanding and exciting, and this boosts pupils’ attainment.

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Attainment and progress

25.Pupils with special educational needs make sound progress, and nearly all are close to national average levels by Year 6. They benefit from teachers’ good lesson plans, which identify appropriately challenging work for them, and are supported well by classroom assistants. They make the best progress when their individual education plans are clear, and well-focused on the skills they need to learn. Too often in English, however, these targets are vague, and of little help to pupils or teachers. Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress. They benefit from expert support, and soon gain a sound command of English. By Year 6, nearly all are at, or approaching, national standards in English, mathematics and science. Higher attaining pupils do well, and a significant proportion of them attain above average standards by Year 6. Teachers’ planning is effective at extending these pupils, and provides many opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of subjects.

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Attainment and progress

In their science experiments, for example, pupils are given the responsibility for designing their own experiments at Key Stage 2, and this gives higher attaining pupils the scope to move forward at their own pace, and produce results of high quality.

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Attainment and progress

29. Attitudes, behaviour and personal development 26.The personal development of children under five is average. They show reasonable confidence when talking to adults, and answer questions well, indicating a good degree of self-esteem. They establish good relationships with their classmates, teachers and learning support assistants, and most work quietly and conscientiously, either individually or as part of a large or small group. Children settle down to work quickly, are attentive to their teachers and listen patiently to their classmates. All are willing to seek help or assistance when necessary. Children enjoy their learning, and show eagerness and excitement when being introduced to new activities and experiences. Most children are beginning to demonstrate independence when selecting activities or resources, but few show the levels of independence expected of five year olds, because of the shortage of opportunities provided for them in

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Attainment and progress

the Reception to explore and experiment. 27.At Key Stages 1 and 2, the pupils’ attitudes to learning are generally good, and make a positive impact on their standards of attainment and progress. Attitudes have improved since the last OFSTED inspection when they were judged to be sound. Pupils are often enthusiastic about their work and well motivated. They usually listen attentively to their teachers, and are keen to answer questions. However, when teachers spend too long talking, some of the pupils who have been sitting on the carpet for a long time, lose concentration and start to distract other pupils. The last OFSTED report stated that pupils’ skills in solving problems and undertaking investigations were weak. The school has worked hard to improve pupils’ abilities in these areas, and their skills have improved as a result. In a Year 2 science lesson, for example, the pupils undertook some good personal research to find out more about material

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Attainment and progress

such as wood and rubber. The pupils now enjoy the challenge of solving problems. This was seen to particularly good effect in a Year 5 science lesson, when pupils tackled the problem of designing a burglar alarm with great enthusiasm, and persevered well with the task, even when difficulties arose. Pupils are able to select equipment, and most do this well. 28.The pupils’ behaviour is generally good, and this judgement reflects the findings of the previous OFSTED report. The school operates as an orderly community, and most pupils behave well in lessons. However, some pupils have a tendency to call out in class instead of putting up their hand. Pupils behave very well in assemblies, and this helps to create a good atmosphere for worship and reflection. Most pupils behave well in the playground, and there are few incidents of anti-social behaviour. There was one permanent exclusion of a pupil last year, due to violent and disruptive

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Belswains Primary School -16 behaviour. One pupil was temporarily excluded this term, due to a serious incident in the playground. Pupils show due respect for property and the environment. 29.Relationships throughout the school are very good, and are a major strength of the school. Pupils are friendly and polite to each other, and support their peers sensitively in lessons. There is a high level of racial harmony. Pupils cooperate with each other very well, and work productively in groups. This was seen in a Year 4 physical education lesson, when pupils worked together effectively to develop a dance routine, and listened carefully to the views of others. The pupils have very good relationships with adults working in the school, and know that they can turn to them for help and support. The pupils are polite and friendly to visitors and talk to them with confidence. 30.The personal development of the pupils is good. They are keen to take responsibility, and enjoy

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helping in the classroom and around the school. Older pupils put out the chairs for lunch, and two pupils volunteered to look after the indoor plants. Members of the school council are enthusiastic about their work, and have produced an anti-bullying leaflet for their fellow pupils. Pupils are able to express their feelings easily, and have learnt to listen to what others have to say. This was seen to good effect in a Year 5 'circle' time, when pupils talked about their worries and possible ways of coping with concerns. Pupils show good respect for others’ beliefs, and Year 5 pupils, for example, respectfully ask their Muslim peers about Islam. Pupils appreciate the wide range of extracurricular activities, and take part with enthusiasm. Older pupils benefit from a residential visit, and gain good social skills when working in a team. Pupils make positive contributions to the life of the community through, for

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example, raising money for charity and undertaking a local traffic survey. 34. Attendance 31.The pupils’ attendance is unsatisfactory, because the unauthorised attendance rate for 1997/8 of one per cent was twice as high as the national average. Most of these absences are due to a few parents who have not provided the school with valid reasons for their children’s frequent non-attendance, or parents who bring children too late to obtain a registration mark. The school has evidence that these absences have a detrimental effect on the pupils’ attainment and progress. 32.Parents say that the vast majority of their children like school, and this is reflected in the attendance rate for 1997/8 of 94.6 per cent, which is broadly in line with other primary schools. The pupils’ attendance has deteriorated since the time of the last OFSTED inspection, when it was judged to be good.

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36. QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED 36. Teaching 33.The quality of teaching at the school is good overall, with 96 per cent of lessons satisfactory or better; only two lessons out of 53 were unsatisfactory. More than half the lessons were good, and almost one in five very good. The teaching of children under five is satisfactory overall, but best in the Nursery, where over two thirds of lessons were very good, and all were at least good. In the Reception, whilst teaching is satisfactory, no lessons were good, and one was unsatisfactory. At Key Stage 1, the teaching is satisfactory, with all but one lesson at least satisfactory, and over one third good. At Key Stage 2, the teaching is very good, with 60 per cent of lessons good, and over one in four very good. Overall, this represents a significant improvement from the previous inspection, particularly at Key Stage 2, where teaching was unsatisfactory at that time. The school has worked hard since that

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inspection to improve the quality of teaching. The advisers from the Local Education Authority have been used well to train teachers, and observe lessons along with the headteacher and some co-ordinators. Teachers have attended many courses, and this has raised their level of expertise. The new assessment arrangements are very good, and these enable teachers to use evidence from pupils’ learning to plan more work. 34.For children under five, the very good quality of teaching in the Nursery is characterised by the teacher planning very challenging tasks for children at different stages of development, and good opportunities for them to select activities and develop their independence. The Nursery buzzes with activity, with all children fully involved in learning. The Nursery staff use registration very effectively Belswains Primary School -17 as an enjoyable learning experience, with children, for example, answering in Urdu. In the Reception,

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the work is often too formal, and more closely linked to the National Curriculum than the recommended targets for these children. In mathematics, for example, children were told how to count objects, and had few opportunities to hold them and learn to count themselves. In literacy, children’s hands were held to show them how to write, rather than giving them the chance to try their own writing. In both classes, teachers work closely with their learning support assistants in planning and teaching. The learning support assistants are experienced and well qualified and act as good social, role models for the children. 35.At Key Stage 1, lessons are generally well planned, with interesting activities, which challenge all pupils. The planning takes good account of the different levels of attainment in these classes. Pupils’ behaviour is generally managed well, but where a minority of lessons have shortcomings, the pace of

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lessons is too slow, particularly the introductory session. As a result, pupils become restless, start to misbehave and the lesson is punctuated by the teacher admonishing pupils, and moving them away from others. Otherwise, the relationships in the classroom are good. Teachers have good subject knowledge, and all lesson plans have clear learning targets, which are often linked to previous work. Teachers make good use of resources, and this helps make lessons exciting. In one of the best lessons, a visitor was invited to tell pupils about life in the 1950s, and her use of real money and artefacts brought the history to life. The teaching of literacy is satisfactory: much of the work is demanding, and pupils make sound progress. Literacy lessons have a clear structure, and teachers are unafraid to move quickly on to the next activity once pupils have grasped a concept. At Key Stage 1, teachers have made a sound start

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to the National Numeracy Strategy. Teachers make good use of interesting resources, and focus appropriately on developing pupils’ mental strategies. The weakness of numeracy lessons is sometimes the pace of the mental session, and lessons lose their momentum when teachers pursue a topic when pupils have grasped the concept. In art, the teaching is good, and teachers stimulate pupils with exciting activities which lead to good progress. In all other subjects, the teaching is satisfactory. Teachers assess pupils’ work carefully by thorough marking and regular assessments in all subjects, and often say how the work could have been improved. Teachers set homework appropriately, and this helps pupils practise their reading and writing. 36.At Key Stage 2, nearly all lessons are challenging and well planned and tasks are well matched to pupils’ differing abilities. Teachers’ knowledge of subjects is very good, and this brings a confidence to

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the teaching, and accelerates pupils’ learning. Teachers have well-established methods to manage pupils’ behaviour, and lessons are calm and purposeful. The pace of lessons is very brisk, and often pupils are swept along at a breathtaking rate. This is especially the case in Year 6, where the teacher’s expectations are particularly high. In five out of seven lessons in Year 6, the teaching was very good. In one science lesson, for example, the teacher began with a demanding ‘brainstorming’ session which brought together pupils’ existing knowledge expertly, and pupils could hardly wait to investigate how the length of shadows could be changed. They worked intensely to complete their task by the firm deadline, and triumphantly told the class about their achievements in the plenary session. As a result of the pace and excitement generated by the teacher, all pupils made very good progress. The teaching of

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literacy is good, and lessons are very well structured. The teaching of numeracy is also good at Key Stage 2: teachers focus well on developing pupils’ confidence and speed with mental calculations, and this is already raising their attainment. Elsewhere, the teaching is satisfactory in design and technology, history and geography, and good in all other subjects. 37.The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory, and pupils make sound progress. Teachers provide sound individual education plans, but the targets are best in mathematics, where firm goals are set, such as ‘..learn number bonds to ten’. The English targets, however, are often too vague, and aim, for example, ‘ … to keep learning spellings’. The school makes good use of extra support for pupils with special educational needs, including a specialist teacher from the Local Education Authority, a teacher funded by a charitable trust who supports pupils who are just below

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average, and a part-time teacher employed by the school. Classroom assistants work very closely with teachers and contribute well to pupils with special educational needs. 38.The teaching of pupils with English as an additional language is good. Specialist staff provide challenging work for this large body of pupils, both in the classroom and in small groups withdrawn to different areas. The school has very good links with parents of these pupils, and this helps them provide Belswains Primary School -18 appropriate support at home. As a result of these effective measures, pupils with English as an additional language make good progress in their use and understanding of English. 42. The curriculum and assessment 39.Overall, the curriculum provided by the school is good. This is a significant improvement from the previous inspection, when the curriculum was judged to be satisfactory with some major weaknesses.

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All National Curriculum subjects are taught, together with religious education and personal and social education. The school teaches personal and social skills well, with good provision in science lessons and 'circle' time, for example, to educate pupils about issues concerning health and drugs awareness. The curriculum is broad and balanced, and meets statutory requirements in most subjects, where these apply, including those for sex education, but does not fully meet the National Curriculum requirements in information technology. Weekly teaching hours are around the national average, and time allocations for the different subjects are appropriate. The school is successfully implementing the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies: staff have been trained well, and lessons show a clear regard for the structure recommended in these strategies. In both literacy and numeracy, teachers make effective use

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of the plenary sessions to draw the lesson together, and assess how much pupils have learned. The curriculum promotes the aims of the school well. In most cases, curricular provision promotes the pupils’ intellectual, physical and personal development satisfactorily, and prepares them well for the next stage of their education. There are 30 pupils for whom English is not the mother tongue, and they are assisted well by effective curricular provision and skilled support. 40.There were four key issues arising from the previous inspection report which related to the organisation of the curriculum. These were: to improve the overall quality of teaching and learning at Key Stage 2, particularly in English, mathematics and science; to improve curricular planning and assessment procedures to match the needs of all pupils; to improve the progression of pupils’ learning skills, particularly their practical skills and skills in problem solving and carrying out investigations;

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and to establish systems for monitoring pupils’ standards of achievement. There has been considerable improvement in all these areas. The teaching and learning at Key Stage 2 show significant improvement, especially in English, mathematics and science, and this is helping to raise pupils’ standards of attainment. Staff have worked hard and successfully to improve curricular planning, and are implementing very good assessment procedures, which ensure that work is now more closely matched to pupils’ needs, particularly for higher attaining pupils, pupils with special educational needs and bilingual pupils. Good improvement to the curricular planning has also helped to extend pupils’ practical skills, problem solving and investigative skills, especially in mathematics, science, design and technology and information technology. Good systems for monitoring pupils’ standards of achievement are now in place.

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41.The school’s curricular planning is good. The school makes very effective use of published schemes of work to ensure that pupils build on their skills from year to year. These schemes are closely matched to the National Curriculum Programmes of Study, and provide a very good foundation for teachers’ planning. 42.The school’s provision for equal opportunities is generally satisfactory. The school’s equal opportunities policy explicitly includes all categories of opportunity. Pupils with English as an additional language benefit from good support, which ensures that they have full access to the curriculum. Their parents are provided with useful regular meetings, when skilled interpreters explain new curricular developments, and answer parents’ questions. One pupil with special educational needs, however, misses the opportunity for collective worship when withdrawn from assemblies for extra

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reading work. This is unsatisfactory, and denies this pupil full access to the school’s spiritual provision. 43.The curriculum is enhanced well by special events such as book fairs, musical events and visits to museums and art galleries. There is an enthusiastic school choir, which has been invited to sing for a local sheltered housing association. There is a good range of extracurricular activities, which includes a recorder group, a mathematics club, an Urdu club, country dancing, an information technology club and numerous sporting activities. Pupils have won a number of cups when taking part in friendly competitive football and netball matches with local schools. Belswains Primary School -19 44.There is a good new school policy for homework, which provides full details of times and areas of work to be covered for Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils. Pupils are regularly set tasks for homework, such as reading, learning spellings and tables. Older pupils are set a regular schedule with emphasis on literacy

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and numeracy, but this also includes a good selection of other assignments, ranging across the curriculum, some of which require research activities. 45.The school makes sound provision for pupils with special educational needs. The part time special educational needs co-ordinator knows each pupil well, and gives sound support within the time available. Although there are examples of good practice for individual education plans this is not uniform across the school. Targets are too frequently written in terms of ‘improve’ or ‘continue to..’, rather than as a few short term, achievable goals, which can be shared with and understood by the pupil, and against which progress may be securely measured. All the requirements of the Code of Practice are met; all parents are partners in the individual education plan, and are made aware of the targets. There is a governor who has responsibility for oversight of special needs. The school prospectus and the

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governors’ Annual Report give satisfactory details of the arrangements for pupils with special educational needs. The school makes good use of other agencies to provide pupils with special educational needs with extra support. These include a specialist teacher from the local education authority, staff from the local centre for pupils with specific reading difficulties and a teacher financed by a charitable trust who works effectively with classroom assistants to raise the reading standards of those pupils who are just below average. 46.The curriculum for children under five is uneven, and unsatisfactory overall. The curriculum in the Nursery class is generally broad and balanced. Curricular planning is due to be revised in the light of the new nationally recommended Early Learning Goals. At present, however, there is insufficient provision for purposeful play or independent learning in the Reception class in most areas of learning.

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The planned curriculum makes satisfactory provision for the transition from early years learning to the requirements of Key Stage 1 overall, but the Reception class curriculum tends to over emphasise the more formal aspects of the National Curriculum, at the expense of activities recommended for children this age. The school provides a thorough initial assessment of children when they enter the Nursery, and this is used well to inform teachers’ planning and plot the progress of individual pupils. It is also used appropriately to identify children with special educational needs, including those with high ability. 47.The assessment of pupils is very good. The school has a good policy for assessment, recording and reporting, which was revised earlier this year. It includes useful procedures to ensure a consistent approach for marking pupils’ work. There is a very good whole-school system of individual assessment

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and recording, which is implemented well. The school has made a good start in implementing assessment procedures. At the end of each academic year, pupils are assessed and challenging targets are set for the following year for each pupil for English, mathematics and science. This is helpful to teachers when the new school year begins, and gives them clear information about their new class. 48.All subjects have a good range of procedures for assessment to take place, and this information is used very well to plan future work for pupils. This is helping to ensure that work is sufficiently challenging for all pupils. Teachers undertake planning conscientiously and in a detailed way, incorporating information obtained from assessment. When planning work for pupils at the start of Year 3, good use is made of the results of the national assessment tests and tasks undertaken by pupils at the end of Key Stage 1, in order to ensure a curriculum matched to their needs. Annual reports to

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parents about their children’s achievements are informative, and include the statutory information required. 52. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 49.The school’s overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, and this judgement broadly reflects the findings of the last OFSTED inspection. 50.The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory. The school successfully conveys to the pupils a sense of self worth, and the importance of valuing others and the environment. The daily acts of collective worship generally meet statutory requirements and make good contributions to spiritual development, but one pupil with special educational needs is excluded to provide extra reading tuition, and this is unsatisfactory. The pupils are given adequate time for reflection on their Belswains Primary School -20 own and others’ experiences through themes such as ‘peace’. The lighting of candles and suitable music

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create a good atmosphere for worship. There are few planned opportunities for spiritual development in lessons, but some good practice does exist. Year 1 pupils, for example, were asked to write about ‘feeling lost’, and Year 5 pupils were taught that the Qur’an is a special book, and were expected to show respect for others’ religious beliefs. Year 2 pupils created an advent ring, and were asked to think about giving at Christmas, rather than receiving. 51.The provision for pupils’ moral development is good. Pupils are consistently made aware of right and wrong. Each class spends time agreeing a code of conduct; staff and pupils often refer to them in lessons, which helps to reinforce the messages. The staff act as good role models for the pupils, and set good examples by their consideration for all members of the school community. Teachers make good use of the system of rewards, particularly the ‘Star Book’, which is effective in promoting appropriate

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behaviour. There is a democratically elected school council, which provides good opportunities for pupils to become involved in aspects of school life. The council, for example, has helped to draw up the home/school agreement. 52.The provision for pupils’ social development is good, and the school is successful in its aim to promote a caring attitude towards others. 'Circle' time is used effectively in some classes, and issues ranging from bullying to pupils’ worries are explored. The skills of speaking and listening to others are developed well as pupils progress from the Nursery to Year 2. The pupils are encouraged to formulate original ideas and express their views clearly. In a Year 2 numeracy lesson, for example, the teacher challenged the pupils to discover ways of measuring a circular tin, find suitable resources and explain their ideas to the rest of the class. The school is successful in promoting very good and mutually

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respectful relationships. Pupils are encouraged to raise money for charity, and the choir entertains senior citizens. A residential visit offers pupils good opportunities to experience sharing and living together away from their homes. The school gives pupils appropriate opportunities to take part in assemblies, and offers a good range of extracurricular activities. 53.The provision for pupils’ cultural development is good. The school successfully promotes an awareness of the diversity of the pupils’ culture. Some pupils, for example, were invited to taste Indian food, and a nursery nurse explained the significance of a Muslim prayer mat. The school invites pupils to join an Urdu club, held in the lunch break, and this gives all pupils valuable opportunities to learn about the Urdu language and customs. Pupils are given good opportunities to take part in traditional activities, such as country dancing and a tree dressing ceremony. In religious education, pupils study

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harvest festivals in the Christian and Jewish religions. The school arranges a wide range of visits to develop pupils’ cultural awareness. Pupils visited the Verulamium Museum as part of their work on Roman Britain, for example, and went to a Mosque to deepen their understanding of Islam. In English, pupils study a wide range of authors and poets including Shakespeare, Walter de la Mare and Kipling. In art, they learn about the works of artists from around the world, including Kandinsky and Lowry. 57. Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare 54.Overall, the school’s work in supporting and guiding its pupils is good, and this has a positive impact on the standards achieved. Parents who attended the meeting before the inspection expressed the view that the school provided good help and support for their children. 55.The school is successful in its aim to provide a safe environment, physically, socially and

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emotionally. The school is a caring community and pupils are well known and valued by the staff. Relationships throughout the school are very good, and pupils feel happy and safe. The main responsibility for providing support is undertaken conscientiously by the class teachers. Learning support assistants, the secretary, midday supervisors and the caretaker also make significant contributions in caring for the pupils. New pupils are sensitively introduced into the Nursery and Reception classes through a series of helpful visits. Close links with a local secondary school ensure that the transfer of Year 6 pupils is as smooth as possible. 56.Pupils with special educational needs benefit from sound support. Their needs are identified early in their school life, and they are well supported by knowledgeable classroom assistants. Teachers produce individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs as required, but often these plans

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provide targets that are too general for these pupils to make the best possible progress. Pupils with Belswains Primary School -21 English as an additional language are supported well. The school makes effective use of specialist teachers and interpreters to ensure that all pupils have full access to the curriculum, and that they make good gains in their use and understanding of English. 57.The school’s procedures for monitoring pupils’ academic progress and personal development are very good, and are a major strength of the school. Teachers keep detailed records of pupils’ attainment. They set clear and focused targets, which enable pupils to improve their work. The school monitors pupils’ personal development closely, and progress in this area is carefully detailed in the their annual reports. 58.The procedures for monitoring and promoting good attendance are generally satisfactory. The school immediately follows up unexplained absences, and has very good links with the educational

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welfare officer. However, the school has not found effective measures to reduce the high level of unauthorised absences. The previous OFSTED report stated that registration took too long, and was not always taken promptly. The school has fully addressed this issue, and registers are now called swiftly at the beginning of the morning and afternoon sessions. The school does not have formal procedures for recording pupils who leave the premises during the day, for example, for medical appointments. Effective procedures are in place to monitor punctuality. 59.The measures for promoting discipline and good behaviour are good, and the school operates as an orderly community. The high expectations and ethos of good behaviour are reinforced in lessons and in assemblies and by the examples of adults working in the school. These are underpinned by a clear behaviour policy, which emphasises the rewarding of good behaviour. Each class teacher has her own

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system of rewards, such as stamps and stickers, and these are generally successful in achieving good standards of behaviour. During ‘Show Case’ assemblies, rewards for good behaviour are read out from the ‘Star Book’, and pupils value these highly. Sanctions are effectively applied. The school has drawn up a clear anti-bullying policy, and the school council produced a helpful anti-bullying leaflet for pupils. The school has not yet formulated a policy on the use of force to control or restrain pupils. 60.The school’s arrangements for promoting the health, safety and general well-being of the pupils are satisfactory. Appropriate procedures for child protection are in place. The school has its own policy, which includes clear guidance to staff. The headteacher is the designated member of staff with responsibility for child protection, and has received the relevant training. The school pays due regard to

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health and safety. The health and safety policy includes some useful guidelines for staff, but does not contain details of risk assessment. The governors, headteacher and caretaker make regular checks of the premises, and electrical equipment is tested annually. A few minor health and safety concerns were brought to the attention of the headteacher during the inspection. No member of staff is qualified in first aid, but, in practice, good procedures are in place for caring for pupils who are ill or injured. 64. Partnership with parents and the community 61.The school’s partnership with parents and the community is very good, and is a major strength of the school. At the time of the last OFSTED inspection, links were judged to be good, and since then, the school has worked hard to enable parents to become more involved in their children’s work. This has had a beneficial effect on pupils’ attainment and progress.

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62.The quality of information which the school provides to parents is very good, and parents value the way that it helps them to support their children’s learning. Parents receive a great deal of useful information about the curriculum each term. The leaflets include clear details of the topics which their children will be studying, helpful information about homework and effective strategies to show how parents can help their children at home. There was very good support by parents for a valuable information evening on the numeracy hour. Informative letters and attractive newsletters give parents comprehensive details of future events, and celebrate the school’s successes. The parents value the school’s ‘open door’ policy, and feel able to come into school to discuss concerns with the staff. They particularly appreciate the headteacher’s willingness to help parents with their problems. Parents whose

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children are about to start in the Nursery or the Reception classes are well informed through visits to the school, and meetings with the teachers. The school’s prospectus and governors’ Annual Report are informative, but omit details of the teaching of religious education, and the right to withdraw pupils from collective worship. Termly consultations provide good opportunities for parents and teachers to Belswains Primary School -22 discuss progress. Full reports of pupils’ progress are sent to parents in the spring term, and contain helpful information about how pupils can improve their work. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are informed appropriately about their child’s progress, and targets for improvement. 63.The last OFSTED report commented that Urdu translations for information on the Nursery provision were not available. The school now produces invitations to register at the Nursery and the information

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booklet in English and Urdu. The school arranges useful termly meetings for parents whose first language is Urdu, where items such as homework and numeracy are discussed. A home/school literacy advisor also acts as a valuable bridge between home and school. Some letters home are translated into Urdu, and interpreters are also provided at parents’ evenings. These valuable areas of support have helped parents to feel part of the school community, and have enabled them to become more involved in their children’s education. 64.The parents’ involvement in their children’s learning is very good, and is another major strength of the school’s provision. The previous OFSTED report stated that some parents were dissatisfied with homework, and that communication with parents over homework was unclear. The school has worked hard and effectively to overcome these problems. It has drawn up a clear policy, and most parents

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appreciate the useful homework diaries for older pupils. They are also involved in the beneficial home/school reading scheme. Parents now know what is expected of them and of their children, with regard to homework. A few parents feel that there is too much homework set, but the inspection team found that amounts were acceptable and appropriate for the ages of the pupils. The provision of homework has helped to raise standards. 65.Parents’ contributions to the life of the school are very good. Their skills and enthusiasm are highly valued by the staff, and parents are made to feel very much a part of the school community. A good number of parents help in school on a regular basis, and provide valuable assistance with activities including reading, literacy, numeracy, art and food technology. Others assist on school trips, residential visits and after school clubs. The clear home/school agreement was drawn up in consultation with

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parents, and most have signed the adopted policy. Parents also play a significant part in school life through their work on the governing body and through the active school association. 66.The school’s partnership with the community is good, and these links have a beneficial effect on the pupils’ attainment and personal development. The school works closely with a local secondary school to ensure that the transfer of Year 6 pupils is as smooth as possible, but there are few established curricular links. The school encourages pupils to think of others through fund-raising for charity, and collecting Christmas gifts for children in Eastern Europe. The curriculum is enriched by a good number of visits to local places of interest, and one group, for example, visited Northampton for a ‘Victorian Day’. Visitors, such as theatre groups and members of the Chinese community, make valuable contributions to pupils’ learning. The school welcomes members of the clergy to take part in collective

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worship, and pupils benefit from the visits to local places of worship. Pupils participate in local sporting events, and enjoyed taking an active part in a local tree dressing ceremony recently. The school successfully raises pupils’ awareness of citizenship through work, for example, on traffic studies and road safety issues. It has made appropriate links with the world of work through visits to local shops and a building project. 70. THE MANAGEMENT AND EFFICIENCY OF THE SCHOOL 70. Leadership and management 67.The leadership of the school is good, and has a strong and effective commitment to raising standards. This represents an improvement on the findings of the previous inspection, which identified weaknesses in the way that the school planned to raise attainment, and weaknesses in the monitoring of teaching and learning which prevented standards from rising. 68.The headteacher is well respected, and has helped to create a good working atmosphere, where staff

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and pupils all strive to succeed. The relationships with parents are very good, and they appreciate the headteacher’s style of leadership and the warmth that she shows to their children. Very few parents have any significant concerns about the school. 69.The leadership provides clear direction to staff. The headteacher has clear ideas of the school’s priorities, and knows how to address them. The recent emphasis on raising standards in English, Belswains Primary School -23 mathematics and science is due to a rigorous analysis of the school’s results in the national assessment tests. The school compared Belswains’ results with schools nationally, ‘similar’ schools with roughly equal proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and schools in the local area with similar numbers of pupils having English as an additional language. Extra resources were then put into classes to improve standards, and good initiatives, such as a more structured homework policy, and the setting

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of individual targets for pupils, helped to drive standards upwards. The leadership built on this foundation effectively by introducing termly assessments of pupils’ progress, and analysing the results to identify differences in attainment by gender or ethnic background. This positive response to weaknesses has raised standards significantly over the last three years. Pupils’ attainment at the time of this inspection is above average in English, mathematics and science by Year 6, and the school is well on course to reach the ambitious targets agreed with the Local Education Authority for next year. 70.The leadership has made a very good response to the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection, and works to a well-structured action plan. The school addressed shortcomings in teachers’ knowledge effectively by making good use of in-service training, and enlisting the support of the Local

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Education Authority’s advisers. The headteacher monitors the improvement of the teaching by regular classroom observations. These give a good general indication to teachers of the quality of their work, but lack the sharp focus and rigorous follow-up visits to ensure that all teaching is of the highest quality. Nevertheless, teaching has improved significantly, and is now good. Weaknesses in the curriculum have been addressed well, and the school meets the requirements of the National Curriculum in all subjects, apart from in information technology, where some resources are lacking. Schemes of work are now in place, and of good quality. Pupils have more opportunities to solve problems and work independently, and this is helping more able pupils, in particular, to attain high standards. The headteacher monitors these improvements well by regular collection of pupils’ books, and careful analysis of their progress. The deputy headteacher has led the school very well in improving its

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assessment procedures, and these are now very good. 71.The school development plan is comprehensive. It details targets for all aspects of the school’s work, and estimates of how much developments will cost. The document was thoughtfully produced, and has a good focus on raising standards. There are good measures written into the plan to evaluate the school’s progress towards the targets, and clear indications as to when they should be achieved. A weakness of the plan lies in the way it covers only the year ahead. Whilst the school has very general targets for a four year cycle, there is no long-term planning to raise standards, for example, or cope with the possible changing numbers of pupils. 72.The deputy headteacher plays a key role in the management of the school, and enjoys the support and confidence of the staff, as well as the headteacher. She sets a very good example by her own teaching,

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and this has helped to raise standards in the current Year 6. A strength of the deputy’s work is her careful analysis of the school’s national assessment test results, which provides a sharp focus for staff development and curricular improvement. 73.Subject co-ordinators provide good support to colleagues. They monitor teachers’ planning, and provide good training opportunities. Literacy and numeracy co-ordinators have successfully introduced the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, and these are working well to raise standards. The part-time co-ordinator for pupils with special educational needs ensures that the school complies with the Code of Practice, and offers some support to teachers writing pupils’ individual targets. These targets, however, are sometimes too general to be of use to pupils or teachers, and the co-ordinator finds it difficult to make a sufficient impact on the formulation of clear targets in the time for which she is

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employed. The provision for children under five is co-ordinated by the Year 2 teacher and the Nursery teacher. Whilst the Year 2 teacher has good knowledge of the needs of young children, she is apart from the two classes, and is not involved in the teaching. Unsurprisingly, therefore, there is weak continuity between the Nursery and Reception classes. 74.The governing body supports the school well, and is well led by an experienced, enthusiastic Chair. The school’s policies are thoroughly analysed, and governors are unafraid to put forward their own policies. Recently, for example, the governing body was involved in revising the school’s appraisal procedures, and helped to create a more effective system. Governors monitor the progress of the school development plan each month, and have a clear understanding of the school’s priorities. Governors Belswains Primary School -24 have been appointed to oversee the teaching of literacy and numeracy, and take a keen interest in the

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school’s provision. The governors meet most of the statutory requirements for the delivery of the curriculum and the welfare of pupils, but there are gaps in resources for information technology, and, occasionally, pupils with special educational needs are withdrawn from collective worship for extra reading. 75.The aims of the school are clear, and are well focused on pupils working hard, and on the school providing a good curriculum and safe environment. These aims are met very well, and account for the very good ethos of the school. 79. Staffing, accommodation and learning resources 76.The number, qualifications and expertise of the teaching staff are well matched to the demands of the curriculum, with a good blend of experienced and less experienced staff, ranging from 20 years to two teachers with only one year’s experience. All teachers are trained in the infant or primary phase, except two who are trained for middle schools. Staff turnover is modest; only two teachers have left the school

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and two teachers have been appointed over the last two years. There is a good range of subject qualifications amongst the teaching staff, including English, mathematics and science. There is some matching of qualifications with subject responsibilities wherever possible. The Nursery class has a part-time teacher and nursery nurse in attendance for the time the youngest children are in school. All teachers have subject responsibilities, except for the recently qualified teacher. The level of staffing for eight classes, all of which, except for the Reception class, contain pupils of the same year group, is appropriate to enable the curriculum to be taught effectively. There are six support staff altogether, working for the number of hours that is in line with the national average for a school of this size. This includes a full-time unqualified teacher funded to work with pupils with English as their second

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language. All the support staff are well qualified, appropriately skilled and experienced. They work well alongside teachers, in planning, teaching and recording pupils’ progress. All classes have an allotted learning support assistant for a proportion of the week, and this provision helps to achieve good standards of attainment and progress by the majority of pupils. Good use is made of parent helpers in nearly all classrooms, in all areas of the curriculum, in outside visits, classroom talks and field work. There were no issues concerned with the experience and qualifications of teaching and support staff during the last inspection and this good level has been maintained. 77.Arrangements for the professional development of staff are very good, and there are good support and mentoring arrangements for new staff and newly qualified teachers. All teaching and support staff have received training in the National Literacy Strategy and the National Numeracy Strategy and this

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has had a positive effect on pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics. Procedures for teachers’ appraisal are in line with requirements, and all teachers have been appraised and monitored in the classroom by a member of the senior management team. These procedures are good, and are helping teachers to evaluate and develop their classroom teaching practice. Good in-service training, provided by subject co-ordinators and Local Education Authority advisers, and the introduction of national strategies, have improved teachers' knowledge in all curriculum subjects. These innovations show a distinct improvement on the findings of the last OFSTED inspection, where the lack of systems for the monitoring of teaching and the improvement of teachers’ subject knowledge were both key issues. All members of staff have an appropriate job description, which contains clear details referring to their curriculum subject responsibilities. Appraisal is also carried out informally by the headteacher for all

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support staff, and they are encouraged to attend professional development courses. The staff development and in-service training programme is very effective in motivating all staff, and in identifying and meeting individual and corporate needs. 78.The school’s accommodation is generally good, and is more than adequate for the age range of pupils and the numbers on roll. All classrooms, with the exception of the Key Stage 1 classrooms, are large and roomy, with useful activity areas outside the classrooms. The Nursery class area is particularly good, and includes a large partly covered outside area, and an enclosed playground with direct access from the classroom. However, children who are under five from the Reception class do not have direct access to these essential facilities, and this limits their physical development. The indoor and outdoor accommodation allows the curriculum to be taught well for the whole age range of pupils. It provides

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Attainment and progress

an attractive and well-maintained learning environment, due, in part, to the good work of the site Belswains Primary School -25 manager and his staff, both in and out of doors. Bright, colourful class displays also help to give all pupils and staff a stimulating and colourful environment. The school grounds and surroundings are good, with a hard surfaced playground which contains markings related to mathematics and physical education. There are also numerous pleasing grassy areas and useful outside adventure areas, with climbing and balancing apparatus which has soft landing surfaces. The school’s Parents’ Association has provided one of these areas, and both can be used in all but the most severe weather conditions. A small wildlife area containing trees and shrubs is situated within the school grounds, and this is used well during the whole school year for topics in science and geography. Problems caused by the poor

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condition of the playing field noted in the previous OFSTED inspection have been fully resolved. The large playing field is now well drained, and in good condition to provide a suitable surface for physical education and the playing of competitive games with other schools. 79.The resources of the school are mostly good, and their provision, deployment and condition enhance the quality of work in nearly all subjects. The resources for art are excellent, and provide the stimulus necessary for pupils to attain high standards. In religious education, the teachers’ use of interesting artefacts brings the subject to life, and leads to above average attainment. However, the resources for information technology at Key Stage 2 are unsatisfactory, and fail to fully meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. Otherwise, the range of resources is appropriate to the primary age and to pupils of different abilities. The provision of outside play equipment and large toys for the children under five

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is good, but this equipment is not fully accessible for children under five in the Reception class. The library has good resources, but does not always play a central role in the support of learning and very little use was observed during the inspection week. Resources from outside the school are also used well, and there are visits to the locality to compare and contrast environments and buildings. A short, residential visit by the older pupils to Hastings is planned for the summer term. Visitors to the school include parents to talk about their babies, in conjunction with the youngest children’s topic on ‘change’, and a teacher’s relative giving information about life in the 1950s. The issue concerning the inadequacies in resources for science and geography has now been resolved: science has good resources and geography resources are satisfactory. 83. The efficiency of the school 80.The school makes good use of its funds, and this represents a significant improvement from the

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Attainment and progress

mostly sound level of efficiency described in the previous report. The school development plan sets clear and achievable targets which reflect the needs of the school, and which have developments costed annually to match the funds available. The staff and governing body are appropriately involved in setting the targets, designing the plan and evaluating the effectiveness of their decisions. However, the planning for just the next 12 months is unsatisfactory, and provides too little focus on the long-term financial development of the school, including the planning necessary to cope with the likely increase in the school’s numbers in the future. 81.Governors monitor the school’s spending each month, and work with the headteacher and school secretary effectively to ensure that the finances are in good order. Co-ordinators monitor their resources regularly; they advise the headteacher on areas of need, and the benefits gained from their expenditure.

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Attainment and progress

This system works well as it ensures that the use of money is closely matched to the school’s main priorities, and monitors the benefits. The lack of this monitoring was criticised in the previous report, and the school has responded well. 82.The teaching staff are deployed effectively. The school has made sufficient funds available to enable literacy and numeracy co-ordinators to monitor the standards in their subject, and this has helped the successful introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. The school makes good use of specialist teachers for pupils with English as an additional language, and this provision ensures that they make good progress. Funds for pupils with special educational needs are used well. A part-time teacher co-ordinates the school’s provision satisfactorily, and classroom assistants are skilled, and provide good support for all pupils with special educational needs.

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83.The accommodation is used well. The school's grounds and environmental area are used effectively to give pupils first hand experience of creatures and their habitats for their science work. There is good storage space for resources, and this is used well to ensure that teachers have easy access to books and Belswains Primary School -26 equipment. 84.The school’s administration runs smoothly, and supports the organisation of the curriculum well. Financial planning and monitoring of spending are provided by services bought from the Local Education Authority. This system works well and leaves the secretary and headteacher to focus on the effective use of the school’s funds. The school secretary makes every effort to secure the best price for the school’s goods, and provides efficient, unobtrusive support to the staff. 85.The previous inspection found that the school provided unsatisfactory value for money. Taking into

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account all of the above features in this report, including the good progress that pupils make, the good teaching and improving standards, set against the relatively high costs per pupil, the school now provides good value for money .

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Attainment and progress

89. Belswains Primary School -27 89. 89. PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS 89. AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN UNDER FIVE 1.At the time of the current inspection, the Reception class children had been attending full time for just over half a term. All the Nursery class children are aged under five as are seven of the 14 children in the Reception class. The quality of teaching in the Nursery is very good, whilst that in the Reception class is satisfactory, but ranges from satisfactory to unsatisfactory. Accommodation for the Nursery children is good, with a spacious classroom, a covered, walled patio and an enclosed outside play area. However, children in the Reception class do not have direct access to these facilities. Consequently, there is a lack of opportunity to participate fully in creative and physical activities, including role play. All members of staff, other adults and the older pupils in the school work together to make the youngest

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children feel safe and secure in all aspects of their school day. 90. Personal and social development 2.Children make sound progress in their social and personal development and most achieve the expected standard in this area of learning by the time they are five. They show reasonable confidence in talking to their teachers and other adults, and answer questions well, indicating a good degree of self-esteem. The teaching in the Reception class for independent work, however, is unsatisfactory, and restricts children’s attainment in this area. Children establish good relationships with their classmates, teachers and learning support assistants, and most work quietly and conscientiously. Children settle down to work quickly, are attentive to their teachers and listen patiently to their classmates. All are willing to seek help or assistance when necessary. Children enjoy their learning, and show eagerness and

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Attainment and progress

excitement when being introduced to new activities and experiences, like the Three Bears’ house, and working with coloured foam interlocking numbers in the Reception class. Most children demonstrate some independence when selecting activities or resources, for example, in changing for any physical development lessons and in finding the appropriate peg to hang up their coats on arrival in the morning. The quality of teaching in this area of learning is good in the Nursery class, and satisfactory in the Reception class. Class teachers and learning support assistants work hard to establish successfully good relationships in their class, and adults act as good role models. The children are taught to be attentive, and to settle down quickly and quietly to their work. They benefit from good teaching to enable them to show independence in their personal hygiene, and in dressing and undressing for their

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physical activities. Belswains Primary School -28 91. Language and literacy

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Attainment and progress

3.Children of all abilities also make satisfactory progress in developing their language and literacy skills. Most children achieve the Desirable Learning Outcomes in language and literacy by the time that they are aged five but a significant number of them still have difficulties with their early reading when they begin Year 1. Children make good early gains in the Nursery, but progress slows down in the Reception. Children listen attentively to their teachers, especially during the introductory session at the beginning of lessons and at the beginning of their morning and afternoon sessions. Nearly all children talk with average skill about their experiences at home and at school. They are eager and capable of answering questions, but some find it difficult to explain their feelings. Most show a sound recognition of letters of the alphabet, and recognise their own names in print. Most children recognise simple words

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Attainment and progress

well from their work in the literacy time. They readily participate in rhymes and songs, and take part in role play, either spontaneously or directed by the teacher. They show a sound understanding of the organisation of books, and the distinction between and role of pictures and words, but some do not fully understand the left/right and top/bottom direction of print. Most children enjoy their time during the day with books, and handle them very carefully. Few children associate sounds with patterns in rhymes, with syllables, or with words and letters. Most children are beginning to use pictures to communicate meaning, but few show an awareness of the different purposes of writing. Only a few children write their names with appropriate use of upper and lower case letters by the time they are five. The quality of teaching in this area ranges from good to unsatisfactory. In the Nursery, the teaching is good, and in

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Attainment and progress

the Reception it is satisfactory overall, but has some shortcomings. When teaching in the Reception is unsatisfactory, the teaching of literacy is too formal, and is based on the National Literacy Strategy, rather than on the nationally recommended curriculum for children of this age. As a result, the teacher directs their writing movements, rather than allowing children opportunities to attempt their own writing, and this slows down children’s progress in experimenting with writing. Teachers in both classes present many opportunities in the classroom for children to speak and listen, especially in the early morning sessions and breaks during the day. There is a good emphasis on children’s talk by teachers in all aspects of the school day. 92. Mathematics

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Attainment and progress

4.Children’s attainment in mathematics is in line with that expected for this age group, and most are expected to achieve fully the nationally recommended outcomes by the time they are five. Their progress in this area of learning is satisfactory in both classes. Most children have a sound recognition of numbers up to ten. Nearly all form and write numbers up to five without assistance. They recognise and recreate patterns well, and are familiar with various number rhymes and counting games. They show a sound awareness of addition and subtraction number operations up to ten. This was demonstrated in whole-class numeracy sessions, and when the teacher used the registration time to sharpen children’s mental numeracy skills. Children have a good knowledge of larger numbers from everyday life; for example, in registration they know the number of children who should be in the class, and how many are absent. Most children have a sound understanding of mathematical language, and

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Attainment and progress

describe shape, size and quantity when sorting and matching bears by colour and size. They compare size well by using the expressions ‘smaller’ or ‘larger’. Nearly all children show a sound recognition of basic two dimensional shapes, and are beginning to identify these shapes in everyday positions in the classroom and around the school. The quality of teaching in this area is generally good. The teachers and support staff provide a good assortment of practical equipment and apparatus for children to sort and make into patterns. They also provide everyday items like place mats, teddy bears and toy cars for children to sort and order, and this has a good effect on children’s mathematical development. Staff make effective use of all learning opportunities as they arise, such as when children are using construction kits, they encourage them to discuss and explain such concepts as ‘higher than’ and ‘less

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Attainment and progress

than’. Both direct teaching and learning where children are working on their own, or with a partner, are well planned to enable all of them to make satisfactory progress in this area of learning. Belswains Primary School -29 93. Knowledge and understanding of the world

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Attainment and progress

5.The majority of children achieve the desired outcomes in this area by the time they are five, and children make sound progress. Nearly all children talk with average skill about where they live, their families, home and school environment. They also have a sound ability to describe past and present events in their life, which is evident in history and geography orientated lessons on their holidays and food. They react well to the opportunities presented to them to explore and recognise objects and materials, especially in their scientific work, when they participate eagerly in crisp-tasting to recognise sweet and savoury tastes. They have average ability to recognise the link between taste, smell and sight in this respect. Nearly all have a good awareness of some of the features of the area where they live, in particular, the current building project taking place in part of the school grounds. They discuss with

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Attainment and progress

reasonable knowledge some of the features they would like in the newly built school areas. Children use information technology effectively to reinforce their work in literacy, mathematics and art. Most show good control in their use of the ‘mouse’, and indicate their food preferences well on the screen before printing a graph about their food preferences. The quality of teaching in this area of learning is good in the Nursery class, and satisfactory in the Reception class. Teachers use the local, school environment well to encourage the children to discuss and relate their experiences. These experiences are then well linked to literacy, drawing, painting and modelling back in the classrooms. Children are encouraged well to talk about their families and where they live, for example, teachers ask pupils about their route to school, and any important events such as holidays, or the birth of new members of their families.

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6.Children attain average standards in most aspects of this area of learning. Children make a good start in the Nursery, and progress well, but the lack of outside apparatus and facilities for the Reception class restricts their progress in physical development. In their work in the hall, they are confident in their movement, and have sound co-ordination, both in body movement and in using small apparatus and equipment. They listen carefully to their teacher’s instructions, and develop a sound awareness of space. They understand simple health and safety principles, and the reason for warm up and cool down sessions. Children move quietly and sensibly from their classrooms to the hall for physical education lessons and show good consideration for pupils working in other classrooms on their route. In their work with synthetic dough and construction kits, they show good control when making shapes, towers,

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Attainment and progress

bridges and houses. The quality of teaching of physical skills is satisfactory. Good provision by staff of planned and spontaneous physical activity within the school is offset by the lack of outdoor facilities for children in the Reception class. Staff give good support to children to enable them to gain confidence, by showing them the correct way to use and handle equipment, tools and apparatus. They also work effectively with the children in sand and building activities and use these occasions productively to assess children’s performance and progress. 95. Creative development

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Attainment and progress

7.Most children achieve this area of learning by the time they are five. They make very good progress in the Nursery, but slow progress in the Reception. The teaching of creative skills is good in the Nursery class, but in the Reception, whilst the teaching is generally satisfactory, children have too few opportunities to express their ideas and communicate their feelings through music, dance, drama and stories. By the age of five, they explore with average skill colour, texture, shape and form in two and three dimensions through their painting, drawing, modelling, cutting and sticking activities. In their use of construction kits and painting and modelling activities, most children react well to the opportunity to express their feelings and communicate their ideas, and produce average work. Nearly all children use their imagination well in dance and drama, as was observed, for example, in their dance interpretation of

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Attainment and progress

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. In their musical activities, children recognise and make ‘short’ and ‘long’ sounds with percussion instruments with reasonable skill. They describe these sounds in everyday life, and use long and short clapping movements effectively to accompany the rhythms of familiar songs and rhymes. Belswains Primary School -30 96. ENGLISH, MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE 96. English 8.Analysis of the national end of Key Stage 2 tests for 1999 shows that standards in English, at the expected Level 4 and above, and at Level 5 and above, were well below the national average. When the average of the school’s test data is compared with all schools, it shows that standards in English are well below average. When the average of the school’s data for English is compared with that of similar schools, it shows that standards are very low. When the end of Key Stage 2 test results are compared with those reached in 1997 and 1998, they show that, although standards were rising in English, there

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was a sharp drop in 1999. Evidence indicates that this was due to the high proportion of pupils who had special educational needs, and pupils who had English as a second language, within the year group. Nevertheless, a value-added analysis shows that these pupils made sound progress from their results in the national assessment tests at Key Stage 1. Very ambitious targets for improvement have been set in English, and the school is making good progress towards achieving them. This inspection’s findings indicate no current significant variations in the attainment of boys and girls. 9.This inspection finds that standards at the end of Key Stage 2, including those for literacy, are above average overall, and this is a good improvement since the school’s previous inspection. The findings are much higher than those of the national tests in 1999, as a different group of pupils is involved, there are fewer pupils with special educational needs and the teaching in Year 6 is consistently very good.

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10.Standards in speaking and listening are above average at the end of Key Stage 2. Nearly all pupils speak clearly and confidently, both in small groups and to a wider audience. They listen attentively both to their teachers and to other pupils. Group and paired discussions are promoted well, and pupils make effective use of the plenary sessions in the literacy hour to report back to the class about their work. Progress in speaking and listening is good. Pupils make increasing use of their speaking skills and have opportunities for speaking to an audience, reporting back and small group discussions in class. 'Circle' time is a good example of this work. The present standards in speaking and listening are higher than those found by the previous inspection. 11.By the end of Key Stage 2, standards of attainment in reading are above average. Most pupils share their ideas thoughtfully, and read a range of texts with above average expression and understanding. A

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Attainment and progress

significant number of higher attaining pupils read challenging material well, and use the more advanced reading skills of prediction, deduction and inference to a good standard. Pupils display good skills as they name their favourite authors, such as Allan Ahlberg, Lucy Daniels, Les Martin and Malorie Blackman, and some identify features of style. In order to improve standards further, advanced reading skills, such as inference, identification of key themes and characters, are being taught during the literacy hour, and this is swelling the proportion of pupils who exceed the national target. Progress is good in reading at Key Stage 2, and pupils are constantly challenged to try more difficult work to improve their skills. The school has adopted the National Literacy Strategy well. Standards in reading are higher than those in the last inspection. 12.By the end of Key Stage 2, standards of attainment in writing are average, with some pupils

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Attainment and progress

achieving higher attainment. Pupils with special educational needs attain sound standards for their capabilities. Most pupils spell commonly used words accurately, and demonstrate sound skills when writing for a variety of purposes, as seen in their work on recognition and comparison of poetic structure, and report writing. The reading of challenging poems, such as ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson and ‘The Charge of the Mouse Brigade’ by Bernard Stone inspired Year 5 pupils to write their own, vivid, imaginative poetry. Pupils are developing their writing competence across the curriculum well, as shown in history, when writing ‘ … a speech for Lord Shaftesbury to persuade Parliament to improve working conditions’ and in mathematical work when writing instructions for a game. Most pupils present their work well and write in a neat, legible, fluent joined style, although some still use printing in Years 5 and 6. They improve the neatness of their work

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Attainment and progress

steadily throughout the school. Pupils are developing average skills in spelling, sentence construction and punctuation within appropriate writing contexts. The good focus on the quality of pupils’ writing in all subjects has a positive effect on their work across the whole curriculum. Most pupils make good progress in their writing at Key Stage 2, and quickly develop confidence to use their skills. The reason Belswains Primary School -31 why a few pupils fail to make good progress is that teachers do not always insist on their using joined script, and this slows down the development of this skill. 13.Analysis of the national end of Key Stage 1 tests and assessments by teachers for 1999 shows that standards in reading at the expected Level 2 and above were above the national average, and were well above the national average at Level 3 or above. In writing, standards at Level 2 or above were close to

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Attainment and progress

the national average, but below the national average at Level 3 or above. When the average of the school’s test data is compared with that of all schools and similar schools, it shows that standards are above average for reading at Levels 2 and 3, and average for writing at Level 2, but below for Level 3. When the test results for 1999 are compared with 1997 and 1998, they show a trend of sharply rising standards. The data for 1999 show under attainment by boys compared with that of girls in English. The findings of the inspection indicate higher attainment by girls compared with that of boys. 14.In this inspection, standards of attainment in English at the end of Key Stage 1, in both reading and writing, are in line with national expectations. Standards in literacy are average. This is lower than the standards found in the last national assessment tests, because there is a higher proportion of pupils with

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special educational needs within the year group. Pupils with special educational needs attain in line with their capabilities. In the previous inspection report, attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 was judged as meeting national expectations for reading, but below for writing. The findings of this inspection show that standards have improved overall. 15.Standards in speaking and listening are average at the end of Key Stage 1. By the end of the key stage, pupils describe, converse and narrate at levels appropriate for their age and most speak confidently. They talk clearly about stories they are reading, and enjoy describing the roles of authors and illustrators. Progress in speaking and listening is satisfactory. Most pupils listen carefully, and listen with increasing attention to detail as they get older. 16.By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ standards in reading are average. The emphasis in the first few

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years at school is successful in developing positive attitudes towards books. Nearly all pupils read stories competently and have a sound understanding of how to use books for information. Most pupils read with reasonable accuracy; many can work out new simple words by splitting them into sounds, and nearly all have a good store of memorised words to call upon. To help the pupils who are having difficulty using initial letter sounds to help them to read unknown words, the school is taking part in the Local Education Authority’s early reading skills project. This is proving to be worthwhile, and is already helping to raise the overall level of attainment in reading and spelling. Pupils enjoy reading and regularly take their books home to practise their skills. Many have a favourite author, such as David McKee and Dick King-Smith. Progress in reading is satisfactory in Key Stage 1. 17.By the end of Key Stage 1, standards of attainment in writing are average. Nearly all pupils write

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Attainment and progress

simple sentences with average skill, and combine them to form a story or poem, making a good attempt at simple punctuation and spelling. Progress in writing is satisfactory throughout the key stage. At Key Stage 1, the use and acceptance of emergent writing are encouraged and valued. This is helping to improve standards, and enables pupils to express their thoughts in writing freely, creatively and at length. Joined writing has recently been introduced for all pupils in Key Stage 1. This is challenging for them, but is helping to improve standards in spelling and presentation. Most pupils learn to spell simple words increasingly well. 18.Progress in English through Key Stage 1 is satisfactory. Many of the current Year 2 pupils entered Year 1 below average levels, but they have made sound progress during the two years of Key Stage 1, and have reached average standards by Year 2. Pupils with special educational needs make sound

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progress for their capabilities, and most are approaching nationally expected levels by Year 2. 19.Pupils are making good progress overall in English at Key Stage 2, due to the introduction of the literacy hour and the skilful quality of teaching, particularly in Years 5 and 6. Pupils with special educational needs continue to make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 2, but the targets in their individual plans are often too vague for them to make good progress. Higher attaining pupils are suitably challenged, and many achieve high standards in English. 20.Pupils’ attitudes to their work in English are good throughout the school. They are polite, courteous and mostly well behaved. They settle to their work quickly, and concentrate well, especially when the work is challenging. Pupils are interested, attentive and collaborate well together, which is conducive to Belswains Primary School -32 learning. They are eager to question and reply. Although most listen well, some pupils in Key Stage 1

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still call out, which limits others’ learning. Pupils are able to work independently on individual tasks, and generally there is a good working atmosphere in the classes. 21.The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall in Key Stage 1, with some good teaching. In Key Stage 2, teaching is good overall with a significant proportion of very good teaching. This represents a considerable improvement on the findings of the previous inspection, when there were shortcomings in the teaching at both key stages. All lessons throughout the school are at least satisfactory. Important strengths of teaching at both key stages are teachers’ high standards in planning, and their very good use of assessment. Teachers have a good relationship with pupils. All teachers use good effective questioning, coupled with clear explanations, which enable pupils to learn. Teachers respond to pupils’ comments and questions positively, and encourage them to listen carefully. In the best lessons, teachers

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display a great enthusiasm for the subject, their knowledge is good and they have a thorough understanding of National Curriculum requirements. These qualities enable pupils to attain high standards. Reading skills are generally taught well, and more advanced reading skills are now introduced and extended successfully during the literacy hour. Teachers have recently introduced the use of paragraphs at an early stage, and this is helping pupils to attain higher standards in their writing. Punctuation, spelling and grammar are mostly taught well. Joined writing is now being taught in Key Stage 1, and this is raising standards of pupils’ handwriting. Not all teachers, however, insist on joined writing in Key Stage 2. The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory throughout the school, and learning support assistants make good contributions to the quality of teaching and learning for these pupils.

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22.The provision of opportunities for teachers to undertake in-service training is satisfactory, and is linked to the focus in the school’s development plan. The co-ordinator has sound knowledge of the subject, and manages it efficiently. She monitors teaching and standards soundly across the school through informal discussions with staff and looking at pupils’ work. She has made informal observations of literacy hours in Key Stage 2 and has reported back to staff on the lessons seen. 23.The detailed policy for the subject was updated last year. The school is using the National Literacy Strategy as a scheme of work, but the co-ordinator realises the need to use the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for English as well in order to ensure full coverage of the requirements for the subject. Assessment and recording in the subject are very good in both key stages. Information from recorded assessments is used very effectively. Two years ago, the school realised the need to try to raise

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Attainment and progress

standards in English, and joined the pilot scheme for literacy. The teaching in the literacy hours, together with an improvement in procedures and use of assessment, has resulted in higher standards of attainment for pupils in Key Stage 2. Resources for English are good. The school library provides a sound resource area for the school. The library is well stocked with a sound range of interesting books. Although pupils can use the library for research purposes, this was not seen during the inspection. The teaching of English meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. 112.

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Mathematics

24.Analysis of the 1999 end of Key Stage 2 national assessment tests at the expected Level 4 and above indicates that the pupils attained well below average standards in mathematics. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 was also well below the national average. Teachers’ assessments for this age group were roughly in line with the national test results. There was no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls in these tests. Taking the three years from 1997 to 1999, performance overall in mathematics was rising until the lower results of this year. When the test results are compared with similar schools standards were very low. 25.The findings of this inspection indicate that, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment is above the national average. These findings show an improvement on the judgement of the last OFSTED inspection, when standards were found to be barely in line with national expectations, and a number of

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Mathematics

the younger pupils were underperforming. The difference between the findings of the inspection and the latest national assessment tests results is explained by the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs last year compared with the current Year 6. The early introduction of the National Belswains Primary School -33 Numeracy Strategy, with appropriate training, has improved teachers’ knowledge and understanding of mathematics, and accordingly, their expectations of pupils have risen. In addition, improved assessment and monitoring procedures throughout the school are starting to have a very good effect on pupils’ standards in Key Stage 2. Standards in numeracy for this age group are also above average, and a minority of pupils achieve standards that are well above average. 26.In Year 6, most pupils make good use of their knowledge of addition and subtraction principles in problem solving and investigation exercises. They also display a good ability to explain and use mental

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strategies for solving problems related to everyday life. All present their information in a clear and organised way. In their numeracy work, nearly all have a thorough knowledge of their multiplication tables from two to ten, and convert percentages to fractions easily. They have a good understanding of place value up to a 1000, and divide by tens and hundreds with decimal answers with above average skill. They use calculators well, utilising the ‘memory plus’ and ‘memory recall’ keys with good expertise to solve real life problems, such as finding the cost of school dinners for various numbers of children. However, many find it difficult to estimate with any accuracy or confidence. Nearly all pupils show a good knowledge and understanding of angles, and calculate the area of a right-angled triangle or a parallelogram with confidence. A significant number of pupils display above average skills as they

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translate shapes accurately within four quadrants using reflections. In their data handling work, they select and collect data, and use this data with ease to compile frequency charts, block graphs, pie charts and line graphs. 27.Analysis of the end of Key Stage 1 national assessment tests in 1999 shows that the proportion of pupils achieving the expected Level 2 was above average nationally and in comparison with similar schools. Pupils’ performance in the higher Level 3 was well above the national average and that of similar schools. Trends in test results over the last three years show a sharp rise in standards from 1997 to 1998 and this standard was maintained in 1999. The overall trend of the school's performance is still above the rising national trend. There is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls over three years. 28.Evidence from lesson observations, work scrutiny and individual numeracy tests of Year 2 pupils,

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during the present inspection, shows average standards overall. The present Year 2 class has a significant number of pupils with special educational needs, and this explains the lower standards compared with the latest national assessment tests. The standards of numeracy are above average. This judgement is an improvement on the findings of the last OFSTED inspection, when some low attainment was found in mathematics, especially with higher attaining pupils. By the time most pupils leave Key Stage 1, they discuss their mathematical work using appropriate vocabulary, and are beginning to discuss and explain their work with average skill. They use their addition and subtraction skills well to solve simple problems, and a few display high standards as they explain their mental strategies. In their numeracy work, pupils have a good understanding of the place value of hundreds, tens and units, and

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use this knowledge well to add and subtract two digit numbers. Most have a sound knowledge of the two, five and ten times tables, and work out the coinage necessary for money transactions up to 20 pence with reasonable accuracy. Nearly all pupils identify odd and even numbers in a number line or randomly. They have a sound understanding of half and quarter fractions of shapes, but find it hard to calculate quarters of numbers. In their work on measurement, they use standard measures, like metres and centimetres, well to measure classroom items, and make good estimations of measurements. Most show a sound ability to identify and name common two and three-dimensional shapes. 29.Overall, pupils of all abilities make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1, and good progress in Key Stage 2. Pupils with special educational needs make sound gains, and good progress when they are receiving individual or group support from learning support assistants. The youngest pupils progress

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from counting to ten, and counting in twos, to the recognition of odd and even numbers and an understanding of place value in Year 2. As they progress through Key Stage 2, their knowledge of multiplication tables develops well, as does their ability to use this knowledge to solve problems. They also learn to use their numeracy skills in other areas of the curriculum, such as design and technology, geography and history. The correct and appropriate use of mathematical vocabulary is also steadily developed from year to year and across the key stages. Higher attaining pupils do well, and benefit from the high expectations of teachers in Years 5 and 6, and from challenging tasks to extend their skills. Belswains Primary School -34 30.Nearly all pupils respond well to their mathematics lessons. They concentrate well on their tasks, and show a good ability to explain and discuss their work with teachers, their classmates and other

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adults. Nearly all pupils work conscientiously individually or in collaboration with others when given the opportunity. They also react well to any challenge in their lessons, and welcome the chance to participate in independent learning. The presentation of their work is generally neat and tidy in all classes, and pupils take a pride in their work when discussing it with adults. 31.The quality of the teaching of mathematics is good overall, and ranges from satisfactory to very good. There are examples of good teaching in both key stages, and very good teaching in Key Stage 2. This judgement shows a substantial improvement from the last inspection, when the quality of teaching was variable. There were some shortcomings in Key Stage 1, and the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 varied between sound and poor. Lessons are planned well in both key stages, and achieve a good balance between numeracy and the other aspects of mathematics. Teachers’ knowledge and

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understanding of the subject are secure in Key Stage 1 and good in Key Stage 2. This is evident in the introductions to the whole class at the beginning of lessons, and the challenging questioning of pupils to ascertain their progress in skills and understanding. Tasks are prepared well for pupils of different abilities, and challenging extension tasks are planned for higher attaining pupils. Classes are generally managed and controlled well, and teachers make appropriate use of resources and materials. All teachers have organised their mathematics lessons in line with the format of the National Numeracy Strategy, giving lessons a good structure, and providing strategies to further pupils’ attainment and progress. Most lessons are conducted at a brisk pace, but occasionally, the whole-class session at the beginning of lessons is overlong, and pupils lose concentration. Day-to-day assessment is carried out

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well, and is often used appropriately to slow down or to speed up the work on a topic in line with pupils’ understanding. Homework is set appropriately, and is relevant to the work being carried out in the classroom. 32.The curriculum for mathematics is broad and balanced, and fully covers the requirements of the National Curriculum for pupils of all ages and abilities. A very comprehensive subject policy is in place, which has recently been revised, and contains useful guidance for teachers including objectives for each year group. The National Numeracy Strategy is being followed throughout the school, and was introduced a year early. A good scheme of work is being used in conjunction with this strategy, and teachers’ planning, both short and medium term, is monitored effectively by the subject co-ordinators. There are two subject co-ordinators working very successfully as a team to raise standards in

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mathematics. One has a mathematics qualification and the other, the deputy headteacher, is a member of the senior management team. They both offer useful guidance to teachers on a formal and informal basis, and the deputy headteacher has monitored all class teachers during their numeracy sessions. This monitoring and feedback, alongside good professional development for teaching and support staff, have led to a dramatic rise in attainment in mathematics, particularly in Key Stage 2. Resources for the subject are good, and are well used to give pupils of all ages the opportunity for practical mathematics. There is a central store, but the majority of resources are kept in the classrooms to ensure easy access for staff and pupils. Information technology is used well in the data handling aspects of the subject in Key Stage 2, and to develop numeracy skills in Key Stage 1. 121.

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33.In the 1999 end of Key Stage 2 national assessment tests, pupils’ attainment was below the national average and below average compared with similar schools. In the three years from 1996 to 1998, attainment rose from well below the national average to well above, but dropped back this year because of the nature of the cohort in that Year 6 class. Nevertheless, over three-quarters of pupils attained the national standard, and a value-added analysis shows that pupils, overall, made very good progress from their results at Key Stage 1. The proportion of pupils exceeding the national target was in line with that of schools nationally, and with similar schools. There are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls, or different ethnic groups. 34.The findings of the inspection indicate that, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment overall is above average, and a significant proportion of pupils are attaining high standards. This reflects a

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Belswains Primary School -35 considerable improvement from the findings of the previous inspection, when standards were below average. The school has responded well to the shortcomings in the planning and teaching criticised last time, and raised standards materially as a result. 35.By Year 6, pupils have an above average understanding of forces, and conduct good investigations on the weight of objects using forcemeters. They predict the weight of these objects in Newtons with some accuracy, and produce clear bar charts of their results. Pupils have a good knowledge of how light passes through certain materials, and conduct sound experiments to show how materials are opaque, transparent or translucent. Most pupils have a good understanding of how plants and animals reproduce, and show by experimentation how sycamore seeds are designed to float to earth. Their knowledge of the solar system is above average, and pupils construct good models to show how planets

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rotate, and move around the sun. Pupils make good use of their literacy skills in recording results of practical investigations in written form. 36.At Key Stage 1, pupils’ results in the 1999 teachers’ assessments were above both the national average, and that of similar schools. The trend is upwards, and the school has made significant improvements in its results in science from 1997 to 1999. There are no significant differences between boys and girls, or different ethnic groups. 37.The inspection findings show, however, that this group of Year 2 pupils attain only average standards. This year, a higher proportion of pupils have special educational needs, and many find difficulty with the recording of their work. By Year 2, pupils’ experimental work is average, but their recording of their work is often brief. They conduct simple experiments to show how wind propels yachts and elevates kites, and make good working balloon ‘rockets’ to demonstrate how air pressure can

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move objects. They have an average knowledge of materials, and know which were once living, and which never lived. Their work on forces is average, and most understand how to increase the elevation of a ramp to make a toy train go further. Pupils have an average knowledge of the human body. They name the main limbs and organs, and have a sound understanding of the senses. They name the main parts of plants, and know the conditions necessary for plants to grow. 38.At Key Stage 1, pupils make sound progress in widening their knowledge and understanding of a variety of scientific concepts. They are steadily developing their ability to undertake practical investigations, for example, into how magnets attract different materials, and are beginning to understand how to make a test fair. They develop a sound knowledge of the human body, and make good progress in their understanding of the growth of a baby. At Key Stage 2, pupils make good

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progress. By Year 3, they are learning about control in experimental work, altering just one factor at a time. They learn quickly about how light casts shadows and their recording is good, and includes accurate graphs of their measurements of shadows. By Year 4, pupils’ experiments have a good structure. They now understand how to ensure their test is fair, and are starting to predict their results. By Year 5, they make very good progress in their knowledge of electricity, and talk knowledgeably about its potential dangers. Progress in Year 6 is good, and is spurred on by very demanding teaching which makes pupils think for themselves, and expects them to plan their own experiments. Pupils with special educational needs are making satisfactory progress, particularly where they benefit from additional classroom support, but some are withdrawn for extra reading work, and this slows down their

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overall progress. 39.Pupils show great interest in their scientific work, especially in practical investigations. They enjoy working in groups or with a partner and share the workload fairly. Most pupils listen attentively, and settle down to work quickly. A few are less attentive and there are a small number of disruptive pupils in Key Stage 1. Many pupils are eager to answer questions and to offer ideas. Many classrooms, particularly in Key Stage 2, have a quiet, working atmosphere. Presentation of work is generally good, and many pupils in Years 5 and 6 take great pride in the way in which they present work in the form of text, tables and graphs. 40.The quality of teaching overall is good, and ranges from satisfactory to excellent. This is much improved from the previous inspection, when teachers’ knowledge and planning were weak, and pupils had too few opportunities to experiment. All lessons now benefit from good planning, which clearly

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identifies the scientific concepts to be learned. Teachers’ knowledge is good, and this results in pupils developing confidence in the subject. Teachers’ control of classes is generally good, although at Key Belswains Primary School -36 Stage 1, lessons take a while to start as pupils take time to settle. 41.At Key Stage 1, the teaching was satisfactory in both lessons observed. The scientific content of lessons is accurate and science is often related to everyday life, which makes it relevant to the young pupils and stimulates their curiosity. Teachers include many opportunities for pupils to experiment, and this helps them to understand the work. Resources are usually deployed effectively, but, in one lesson, pupils struggled to see the ramp used to propel cars downwards because it was below their level of sight. 42.At Key Stage 2, the teaching is good, and ranges from satisfactory to excellent. Here, the planning is

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very good, and stretches all pupils. Teachers make good use of lively discussions at the start of lessons, follow these with effective direct teaching leading to practical work, and end with a useful plenary session to assess how well pupils have learned. As a result, pupils make good progress. In the best lessons, pupils are given challenging work, which expects them to plan their own experiments. One excellent Year 5 lesson, for example, gave pupils the task of working out how to design an electrical burglar alarm. The teacher enthralled pupils by her introduction, explaining how they must work out how to make a buzzer sound when a ‘silver ingot’ is stolen from a museum, and then stood back as pupils huddled in groups to plan their project. From then onwards, the teacher limited her input to careful questioning of groups, and all pupils worked hard until the end, when they stood proudly over

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their working model. 43.The co-ordinator provides good leadership for the subject. She monitors plans and samples of work, and has observed some teaching in order to gain an overview of standards throughout the school. The co-ordinator has responded well to criticisms of science in the previous inspection. Lesson planning has been improved, and teachers are now confident in their scientific knowledge, following in-service training. The school has good procedures for assessing pupils’ progress, which shows each term the National Curriculum level that pupils have reached. This system works well, and shows teachers clearly how effective lessons have been, and which topics need to be revisited. There are good resources to aid learning in science, which include useful information technology resources to, for example, study weather patterns on the Internet. The teaching of science meets the requirements of the National

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Curriculum. 132. OTHER SUBJECTS OR COURSES 132. Information technology 44.The attainment of pupils by the end of Key Stage 2 is below average, and is similar to that reported in the previous inspection. Whilst many of the pupils communicate their ideas soundly on a computer using text and pictures, their work on the keyboard is often slow and inaccurate compared with other pupils of their age. In word-processing programs, they display average attainment as they negotiate menus capably, and edit their text with reasonable confidence. Year 6 pupils cut and paste text with appropriate skills, but they are just starting to import graphics into their text, and are behind other pupils of their ages in this respect. Pupils use CD ROM programs with average skill to research information on their history topics, and print out their findings. Pupils have little opportunity to learn how to frame questions to negotiate modelling programs, as the school has no appropriate software.

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Similarly, their attainment in the control of devices and monitoring of changes in materials is restricted by the lack of LOGO programs or sensors. 45.By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ attainment is average. Most are confident using computers, and have sound keyboard skills. In simple word-processing programs, pupils show average skills as they alter the font of their text and change small case letters to capitals. Pupils have sound control of the mouse, and can negotiate a menu sufficiently well to save their work with help. 46.Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, make slow progress overall. They make a good start in Year 1, using art programs well to develop their computer mouse skills, and by Year 2, they have progressed sufficiently to be able to use a word-processing program effectively to produce a label for their information technology folder. Pupils continue to make sound progress in Key Stage 2,

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until the lack of equipment causes them to gradually fall behind other pupils of their age. Year 3 pupils punctuate their text with confidence, and research CD ROM programs well to find information about the Romans. By Year 4, pupils are beginning to gain independence with basic operations, and load and Belswains Primary School -37 save their work without help. Year 5 pupils create folders for their work on the computer, and resize graphics with average skill. Pupils have no opportunities to create or interrogate spreadsheets, and, with no modelling programs, they fail to develop the skills of enquiry expected of pupils this age. 47.Pupils enjoy using the computers and appreciate the speed at which changing information is displayed on the screen. Most pupils maintain good levels of interest and concentration for a while when working in pairs, but sometimes their lack of skills frustrates them.

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48.No judgement of teaching was made in the last inspection. In this inspection, only one brief lesson was observed, and this is, again, insufficient to make a judgement. The teachers’ planning, and the scrutiny of pupils’ work show some strengths in the provision. Teachers provide some good opportunities to use information technology to support work in other subjects. Year 3 pupils, for example, redraft their poems on computers following literacy lessons, and Year 4 pupils enter information about Henry VIII. Year 5 pupils are given good opportunities to support their literacy work by producing book reviews. Teachers set some challenging homework for pupils with computers at home, and this produces some good results: one pupil in Key Stage 2, for example, found information about John Lennon following an assembly about ‘peace’, and printed out a poem written by him. Apart from the lack of equipment, a significant problem with information technology is the absence of specific

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time on the timetable to teach the necessary skills systematically. Consequently, information technology has to be fitted in when teachers can find suitable opportunities. This haphazard approach means that some skills, such as research for information, are well developed, whilst others, which do not fit easily into other subjects, are not. 49.The development of information technology is a priority on the school’s development plan, but the targets focus more on improving existing provision, rather than filling the gaps in the school’s equipment. The school has a good scheme of work, which provides useful advice on how to use information technology to support work in other subjects. Pupils’ work is assessed regularly, and makes good distinction between pupils’ experience on computers and their competence. The recently qualified teacher with responsibility for co-ordinating information technology is enthusiastic and

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knowledgeable. She monitors the work completed in each class satisfactorily by scrutinising the pupils’ information technology folders, but feels unsure of engaging in more rigorous monitoring because of her lack of teaching experience. The school has an adequate supply of computers, now that use is made of three new laptop machines, but the lack of equipment for modelling, monitoring and producing spreadsheets means that the teaching of information technology does not meet the requirements for the National Curriculum at Key Stage 2.

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138. Religious education 50.Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is above the average of the locally Agreed Syllabus. This is a good improvement from the previous inspection, when pupils’ attainment in religious education was below average. 51.By the end of Year 6, pupils have a good understanding of different faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. They compare and contrast Christianity with aspects of other faiths and shows a good awareness of the differences and similarities. They know that Sukkot is the Jewish harvest, compare this knowledgeably with a Christian harvest, and explain that the Torah is a special book for Jews. They make good comparisons with different religious places of worship, showing a clear insight into how and why these buildings are different from one another. Many pupils have a good understanding of the Five Pillars of Islam, and the Qur’an.

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52.By the end of Year 2, pupils are knowledgeable about Christianity and have a sound understanding of aspects of different faiths. They understand that The Bible is a special book for Christians, and have a suitable knowledge of Advent and Christmas. Pupils have an average awareness of celebrations in different religions, including Christianity and Hinduism, and retell accounts of these festivals well, with good attention to detail. 53.Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1 and good progress in Key Stage 2. Younger pupils show satisfactory progress in understanding the Nativity, and nearly all retell the story of the birth of Jesus. They make good progress in their knowledge of different religions, particularly when the teaching Belswains Primary School -38 is accompanied by the use of religious artefacts. Pupils in Key Stage 2 benefit from good teaching, which combines factual explanations with opportunities for pupils to reflect on the deeper meanings of

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religion. This accelerates pupils’ progress, and, by their perceptive explanations that the light of a candle helps them to think of ‘peace’ and ‘celebrations of birthdays and Christmas’, for example, they show that they are beginning to understand that light has many significant meanings in people’s lives. They relate well to the theme of ‘caring and giving’, and develop a good knowledge of various charities, such as Barnardos. Pupils with special educational needs make sound progress, and good gains when supported by classroom assistants in the recording of their work. 54.Most pupils are interested in the subject, are attentive and concentrate well. They are eager to contribute to discussions, and are very respectful of others’ ideas and faiths. They are generally well behaved. Some of the school’s children and their parents, from other religious faiths, contribute to class work on beliefs, practices and traditions. This is good practise, and enhances pupils’ understanding

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well. 55.The quality of teaching is good overall, with lessons ranging from satisfactory to very good. Teachers generally have a good knowledge of the subject. At Key Stage 1, the teaching is satisfactory. All lessons are well planned with clear objectives. Teachers explain new work well, and give appropriate opportunities for pupils to contribute their own views and beliefs. At Key Stage 2, the teaching is good, and often very good. In the best lessons at Key Stage 2, the lesson’s objectives are made clear to the class at the start, and relate accurately to the ability of the pupils. Teachers use effective questioning techniques, combined with clear explanations, which enable pupils to learn. Nearly always at Key Stage 2, there is good pace to the lessons, expectations of pupils are high, and the teachers’ use of stimulating resources heightens the pupils’ interest in the subject. 56.Resources are good, and include a good range of stimulating artefacts. The subject is ably led by the

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co-ordinator, who provides good support to teachers. There is a good policy and scheme of work for religious education, which are in line with the locally Agreed Syllabus. These provide a clear framework for teachers to plan lessons, and to ensure the progressive development of skills and knowledge, and wide experiences for pupils. The co-ordinator monitors the provision of religious education well, by observation of some teaching and teachers’ planning. Visits to places of worship enhance the provision of religious education within the school.

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57.Pupils’ work in art is above average for their ages, and they make good progress. Teachers value pupils’ work highly, and much good work from all classes is displayed well around the school. Pupils experience a wide range of media and develop their skills of drawing, painting, textiles and modelling to a good standard throughout the school. The quality of pupils’ work has improved since the last inspection, when it was found to be mainly average. 58.Key Stage 1 pupils identify colours accurately, and mix paints well. Year 1 pupils use paints creatively to produce their own ideas of vehicles and people, and show particularly good understanding of the use of tints of colours. Year 2 pupils use tones of colours and paper collage very effectively to create shapes and patterns in response to a set theme, such as ‘light’. They use twigs imaginatively, inter-woven with shades of wool, to make interesting cobweb-like weavings. Pupils use computer

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programs well to generate simple pictures. Their observational and appreciative skills develop well in Key Stage 1. Year 3 pupils produce effective coloured paper collages of autumn leaves in the style of Matisse’s ‘La Gerbe’. Photographs of Year 4 pupils’ environmental art work show their good artistic arrangements of leaves, bark, shells and stones, which they have then used as inspiration for their pastel drawings. Pupils make particularly good progress in the control and development of colour mixing. Year 5 pupils, for example, use tones of muted shades of brown sensitively to create vivid paintings of street scenes, similar to the style of Lowry. Pupils in Key Stage 2 demonstrate good skills in their observational pencil drawings and paintings of a range of objects, with much attention to tone, detail and pattern. By Year 6, pupils’ exceptional pencil drawings of everyday objects show their good

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attention to size, form, shape, space and tone. Appreciation of professional artists’ work is well developed, and pupils compare and contrast their work to artists, such as Cezanne, Picasso and Georgia O’Keefe. Visits to art galleries greatly enhance pupils’ appreciation of all forms of art. Pupils with Belswains Primary School -39 special educational needs make good progress, and enjoy their successes in art. 59.Pupils are enthusiastic about their work and enjoy their art lessons. They show patience in mixing colours, and share resources responsibly. Pupils show sustained concentration and persevere well with challenging tasks. They talk readily about their work and appreciate the work of other pupils. Pupils handle materials sensibly and show good initiative when clearing up at the end of lessons. 60.The quality of teaching is good overall. It is never less than satisfactory and sometimes, at Key

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Stage 2, teaching is very good. A significant strength of teaching is the good subject knowledge and high expectations of pupils’ work. Lessons are planned well, with clear objectives and appropriate activities to achieve them. The necessary resources are readily available, and teachers do not over direct their use by pupils. The planning achieves a clear structure in the progressive development of artistic skills and techniques, and this has a positive impact on standards. The best teaching is accompanied by clear explanations, and sets the challenge for pupils to produce work of good quality. The ability to re- capitulate on previous work and check pupils’ understanding is also a strength of the teaching. Teachers demonstrate good work effectively, and afford opportunities for pupils to evaluate the work of others. They create relevant links with other subjects, such as history and geography.

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61.Resources are excellent and easily accessible for staff. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic, and has a positive impact on standards. There is a good policy and a detailed scheme of work, which provide a clear framework for teachers, and ensure progressive development of skills and wide experience. The co-ordinator monitors teachers’ planning well, and offers good support to colleagues. Art makes a good contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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150. Deign and technology 62.Pupils’ work in design and technology is average for their ages. This represents an improvement in Key Stage 2 from the previous inspection, which reported below average standards by Year 6. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils work well to gather information about a project, and generate a sound number of ideas. Many have a good knowledge of how machines move, and use cams effectively to change the pattern of movement. They produce good moving models using hydraulics and pneumatics, and evaluate the quality of their finished structures to an average standard. The previous inspection criticised the lack of opportunities for pupils to tackle open-ended projects. Pupils now do this well, and produced some good work, for example, when asked to make a square from card strips, and then make the structure rigid. Pupils’ design skills are average. They draw plans and sketches with sound

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attention to detail and accuracy. In their best designs, pupils produce clearly labelled drawings with accurate measurements to scale, and include cross-sections of their model. 63.A strength of design and technology work is the way that teachers link model making with other subjects. Year 2 pupils, for example, make ‘people’ from cylinders, and build three-dimensional shapes to support their mathematics work. Year 3 pupils make sturdy Roman chariots, and are beginning to introduce step-by-step accounts of their making process, which represents above average skills. Year 4 pupils make working wind gauges to an average standard, and by Year 5, pupils produce good models of Victorian rooms, complete with furniture. 64.Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. Pupils improve their making skills well, and learn to use glue and adhesive tape with increasing skill. They gain a

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sound knowledge of how things work, and progress sufficiently to be able to construct sturdy models using construction kits. They develop a sound understanding of textiles, and learn how best to sew, stitch, fasten together and decorate pieces of cloth. Their designs improve from crude sketches in Year 2 to useful plans by Year 6. 65.Pupils enjoy their design and technology lessons. They persevere with tasks, and mostly complete tasks. They show a pride in their models, and are pleased to demonstrate how well they work to visitors. 66.It was only possible to observe two design and technology lessons during the inspection; one lesson was good, the other satisfactory. Evidence from these, and the scrutiny of pupils’ work, indicates that teaching is satisfactory. Teachers’ planning is good, and gives appropriate attention to the development of pupils’ skills. They make effective links with other subjects, and this works well, giving a purpose to

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Belswains Primary School -40 the work. Teachers prepare resources well, and make full use of the time available. The best teaching has high expectations of pupils and give them opportunities to experiment and learn from their mistakes. Where teaching is least effective, pupils are over directed, and have difficult tasks done for them. Teachers produce good assessments of pupils’ progress, and keep useful photographic records of their work. 67.A good policy and scheme of work provide appropriate guidance to teachers, and state clearly how pupils’ skills should progress through the school. The co-ordinator for design and technology is knowledgeable, has benefited from appropriate training and supports colleagues well. She has responded well to criticisms in the previous report concerning the lack of problem-solving tasks by leading training events, and enlisting useful support from the Local Education Authority. Concerned

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about the lack of opportunities for pupils to control machines by microtechnology, the co-ordinator organised a training day, sponsored by an oil company. Staff found the ‘workshop’ extremely helpful, and this represents good, responsive leadership. Design and technology has adequate resources, but many construction kits are now old and in need of replacement. There are sufficient tools, which are easily accessible, and a sound range of books in the library.

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156. Geography 68.Only a few lessons were observed during the inspection, due to alternate block timetables with history, but a thorough scrutiny of planning and pupils’ work indicates that pupils’ work in geography is as expected for their ages. This judgement is an improvement on the findings of the previous inspection, when most pupils in Key Stage 2 achieved below the national expectation in the subject. 69.In their work on the environment, older pupils displayed good geographical skills as they conducted a survey of traffic in the road adjoining the school. They collected a good store of information on the amount and speed of traffic, and produced some perceptive findings and recommendations for traffic calming. This work is linked well to other curriculum subjects, such as mathematics and science, and pupils show a good ability to use fieldwork and their geographical skills to investigate the environment.

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Pupils in Key Stage 2 have a sound knowledge of the ways in which people affect the environment, and provide clear explanations of the reasons why the environment should be managed and maintained well, both at home and abroad. This knowledge and understanding are linked well to their moral development. All pupils use appropriate geographical vocabulary well in their work on the various aspects of geography. 70.Pupils of all abilities make satisfactory progress in geography. The very youngest pupils indicating a good understanding of their local environment by drawing their route from home to school. They make sound progress from this early work to an ability to interpret Ordnance Survey maps in later year groups. In their work on weather, pupils progress from simple recording of the day’s and week’s weather, to more sophisticated weather recording and a study of climate throughout the world. They

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develop sound geographical skills to enable them to identify different areas and countries in the world. They have, for example a sound knowledge of the difference between polar and monsoon climates, and make good comparisons between our weather and that of the United States. Pupils’ use of geographical language develops gradually, beginning with simple words associated with their immediate surroundings, and progressing to language concerned with landscape, population and climate. 71.The response of nearly all pupils to the teaching of geography is good. They listen carefully to their teacher’s directions, and answer questions well. They work well collaboratively in pairs, or in larger groups, and are prepared to listen to their classmates’ suggestions with respect. Most work is neat and well presented and pupils take a pride in their work, and are eager to explain and evaluate it. Pupils of

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all ages enjoy the practical aspects of the subject, especially in working with maps or in outdoor activities. 72.The teaching of geography is satisfactory overall, and ranges from satisfactory to good at both key stages. No judgement was made of teaching in the previous inspection. Teachers show a secure geographical knowledge and understanding, which are evident in their comprehensive planning and skilful questioning in lessons. Pupils are managed and controlled well, in both whole-class and group activities. There is a sound pace to most lessons and maps and other resources are used widely to match the ability and interest of pupils. A sound balance is provided between giving information and Belswains Primary School -41 providing opportunities for pupils to use their enquiry skills, both in and out of the classroom. The quality of day-to-day assessment is good, and achieved by teachers observing pupils working, and by

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discussion with pupils carrying out their activities, either individually or in small groups. 73.The geography curriculum is broad and balanced, and is supported effectively by a policy document formulated by a previous subject co-ordinator. This is an improvement on the weak curriculum criticised in the previous inspection. The present co-ordinator has been recently appointed, and has already attended an in-service training course on local geography. The school has appropriate procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in the short, medium and long term. The geography scheme of work is based on the national recommendations from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, and provides a good structure for teachers to use in their planning. The co- ordinator has carried out some monitoring by examining plans, pupils’ workbooks and displays, but does not monitor the teaching of geography in the classrooms. Pupils of all abilities have equal access

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to all the aspects of the geography curriculum. A useful audit of resources has been carried out, which shows that resources are adequate, with a wide range of books and globes. The subject is linked effectively with other curriculum subjects, especially mathematics in relation to measuring distance, grid references and temperatures, and information technology, when linking surveys with data handling. Pupils from Years 5 and 6 will attend a residential course in Hastings during the summer term to compare their own locality with another.

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162. History 74.Pupils’ work in history is at a level expected for their ages. This judgement is made from a number of lesson observations, and a thorough scrutiny of classroom displays and pupils’ workbooks and folders. This is an improvement on the findings of the last OFSTED inspection when standards in Key Stage 2 were found to be below national expectations. 75.Nearly all pupils in Year 6 describe with average historical knowledge some of the main changes and events from the past linked to their work on Ancient Greece. They use secondary sources like books, video tapes and pictures well to find out about this period of history. They show a sound ability to identify and explain interpretations of the period from these sources, and provide sound explanations of, and discuss reasons for, the architecture, pastimes and clothes of the period. Their average ability to organise and communicate their findings is also well illustrated in their very comprehensive folders

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related to their studies of the Ancient Greek. In this respect, also, they indicate a sound competence to communicate what they have learned through well structured and well written narratives and descriptions. 76.Pupils’ progress in history is satisfactory for pupils of all abilities. Pupils with special educational needs usually receive support from their teachers or learning assistants, and this helps them to make sound progress. The youngest pupils relate history effectively to the changes in their lives, and make good use of the opportunity to compare the past with their own lives when listening to a visitor talking about school life in the 1950s. In Key Stage 2, pupils develop a secure knowledge of different periods in British history, including the Romans, Tudors and Victorians, to build up a sound sense of chronology. Steady progress is made by all age groups in their ability to inspect various artefacts, in

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order to improve their historical enquiry skills and develop their historical language. 77.Pupils respond with obvious enjoyment, and are keen to participate in their lessons in history. They particularly enjoy the opportunity to participate in any group discussion work, or to listen to visiting speakers. They ask and answer questions sensibly and well, and show good concentration in their tasks, either individually or when required to work with a partner or small group. Their work is normally neat and well presented, and most take a pride in their work. Pupils respond to any challenge in their work with enthusiasm and enjoy any opportunity for independent study. 78.The teaching of history is satisfactory overall in both key stages, and this judgement is roughly in line with the findings of the previous OFSTED inspection. Nearly all teachers are confident in teaching the subject. They use the correct terminology, and tell stories with an enthusiasm, which brings history

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to life for their pupils. Their lesson plans are usually comprehensive, and are focused well on pupils’ abilities and interest. Learning support assistants, when available, are used well in history lessons Belswains Primary School -42 particularly to support pupils with special educational needs. Teachers use their introductory talks and questioning well to ascertain pupils’ previous knowledge and understanding, but sometimes the whole- class session goes on for too long, and pupils become inattentive. Teachers use assessment well in both key stages to ensure that pupils progress satisfactorily in the subject. This is achieved by individual class teacher compiling a comprehensive record that indicates levels of attainment for each pupil at the end of every topic. 79.The subject co-ordinator has recently produced a useful subject manager’s review and scheme of work from the national Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s recommendations. The curriculum is

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broad and balanced for both key stages, and is linked well to other curriculum subjects, including art, literacy, design and technology and drama. In this way, pupils studied art from Tudor times and performed a dramatisation of life in Ancient Greece, including an exciting fashion show from Year 6. Termly monitoring has been carried out to ensure the coverage of history throughout the school. Resources are generally satisfactory. There is a good range of books and additional artefacts have been provided by members of staff and parents. The school also makes good use of the local environment, historical sites and visiting speakers to enhance the history curriculum. Visits have been made to St Albans in connection with Year 3’s work on the Romans, Hatfield House for the Tudors, an Egyptian museum and Year 5 spent a day as Victorians. The school also takes many opportunities to enhance the curriculum by inviting visitors to speak to pupils about life in the locality in the past, and by through

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regular assemblies about history topics.

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Music

80.During the inspection, no music lessons were observed in Key Stage 1, and only three music lessons were seen in Key Stage 2, due to timetabling factors. Judgements are based on teachers’ planning, and lessons seen. This evidence shows that pupils have above average knowledge, skills and understanding in music for their ages. 81.By Year 6, pupils’ good skills are shown by their awareness of how the key musical elements help to produce mood and feeling in a piece of music. Many are adept at discerning and playing beats in differing times. They consolidate their previous learning well, and build on it by learning new skills in listening and performing. Pupils plan compositions well together, and read and use symbols confidently when composing and performing. They select and combine appropriate musical instruments well to achieve their planned effect. Many pupils read correct musical notation to an above average standard.

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They describe their feelings particularly well when listening to different pieces of music, such as ‘The Blue Danube Waltz’ by Strauss and Holst’s ‘The Planets’. 82.Pupils make satisfactory progress at Key Stage 1 and good progress at Key Stage 2, which is an improvement on the findings of the previous inspection. During assemblies, Key Stage 1 pupils sing tunefully, with appropriate timing and pitch. They sing familiar songs with increasing confidence, and use percussion instruments well to make rhythms and simple beat patter. Pupils sing, perform, compose, listen to and appraise music well in Key Stage 2. They show an above average awareness of musical phrasing and pitch, and good skills when maintaining independent rhythms and singing. They are developing their skills of listening to and appraising music well. Pupils gain in confidence in performing, both individually and in groups, with percussion instruments.

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83.Pupils generally participate with enthusiasm and enjoy their music lessons. Most listen attentively, and work well together when required. They are generally well behaved, and are respectful of others’ efforts. There is a very good relationship between pupils and staff. 84.The quality of teaching at both key stages is good overall, which is similar to the previous inspection. Lessons are well planned, with clear learning objectives, which reflect the good qualities of the teaching. When teaching is good, mostly at Key Stage 2, it is characterised by high expectations, which are made clear to the pupils, precise planning, when a range of facets of music is covered in each lesson to provide a suitable challenge to all pupils, and by good pace to the lessons. 85.At present, the school does not have a co-ordinator for music. However, there is a good policy for music, which helps teachers to plan an appropriate curriculum for the pupils. Planning shows that the

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music curriculum is well grounded in the National Curriculum Programmes of Study, and takes good account of musical elements, with an increase in challenge for each year group. Resources are good, Belswains Primary School -43 with a wide range of good quality instruments which make a good contribution to the pupils’ learning. Music makes a good contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils, especially when they compose and perform together, and learn music from different cultures. Belswains Primary School -44

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Physical education

86.Pupils’ work in physical education is as expected for their age groups. This judgement is broadly in line with the findings of the last OFSTED inspection, when it was stated that the substantial majority of pupils achieved national expectations. 87.By the end of Key Stage 2 most pupils show sound co-ordination and control in gymnastics and games activities, and pupils of all abilities indicate a good awareness of the use of space, both indoors and outdoors. However, their appreciation and understanding of the effect of exercise on their bodies are less well developed. They perform basic gymnastic activities with reasonable skill, linking together floor and apparatus work smoothly. Many show a good ability to observe and analyse their own performance, and that of their classmates, and this helps to improve their own work. Most pupils show a sound ability to practise and improve their own performance, and repeat and improve a previously

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performed series of movements with increased control on the larger apparatus. They participate well in competitive games and athletics, using a variety of balls and equipment, and understand well the need for rules in a game. The statutory requirement to teach swimming is fulfilled to ensure that nearly all pupils can swim 25 metres by the time they leave the school. At the time of the inspection, 26 out of 31 Year 6 pupils have achieved this target. 88.Satisfactory progress is made by all pupils, including those with special educational needs. The younger pupils develop increasing control and co-ordination of their bodily movements, on the floor and on apparatus, and they develop well their ability to catch and throw differently sized balls. Their development of playing in small team games progresses until, as older pupils, they are able to participate competently in competitive games, and acquire a sound understanding of team strategies. In

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their dance sessions, the younger pupils show a sound response to ‘mood’, ‘musical’ and ‘word’ stimuli in their routines. They also indicate a sound understanding of the need to be aware of finding spaces, which is a valuable skill in the confined space of the hall. They develop a good awareness of health and safety factors, and nearly all age groups put out and replace small and larger apparatus safely and sensibly. 89.Nearly all pupils enjoy their physical education, and their responses to all its aspects are good. They listen attentively to their teachers’ instructions and directions, and behave well. When moving from the classroom to the hall or playground, they behave quietly and sensibly. They show a satisfactory awareness of safety when handling or setting out equipment or apparatus. Pupils respond well to the opportunity to devise their own movements and sequences, and they are willing to work co-operatively

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with a partner or within a larger group. 90.The teaching of physical education is mostly good in both key stages. This is similar to the teaching in the previous inspection. All teachers show a secure knowledge and understanding of the subject, and its health and safety factors. Teachers plan their lessons well, in line with the latest national recommendations, thus enabling pupils to consolidate and refine their practice. They manage and control their classes well, including the process of changing and moving to the working space. Most teachers are keen to participate in the activities, and use pupils effectively to demonstrate good performance. They use time and resources well, but do not generally use classroom support assistants in physical education lessons. The opportunity to point out to pupils the link between physical education and the effect of exercise on their bodies is sometimes missed.

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91.The subject curriculum is broad and balanced, and all aspects of physical education and development are covered in both key stages. A comprehensive subject policy is in place, which is shortly to be reviewed to ensure that all teachers work to its guidance. The scheme of work is based on the new national Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s guidelines. This ensures that all pupils make satisfactory progression through the various year groups, and develop their attainment in all areas of physical education. The subject co-ordinator is enthusiastic, and monitors teachers’ planning to check how well pupils progress. Resources are generally good, with a generous supply of indoor and outdoor equipment to encourage good performance from all pupils. There is a large internal hall, a playground and a large playing field, which the school uses well to enhance pupils’ performance. The curriculum is

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further enhanced by after school clubs for soccer and netball. The school also participates successfully in competitive games with other local schools in both soccer and netball. Belswains Primary School -45 180. PART C: INSPECTION DATA 180. 181. SUMMARY OF INSPECTION EVIDENCE

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• . The inspection was carried out by a team of four inspectors who spent a total of 14.5 inspector days in the school. Time spent observing teaching, scrutinising the work of pupils and checking their attainment by working with them during the inspection - 72 hours 30 minutes. 4 hours at Pre Key Stage 1, 30 hours 30 minutes at Key Stage 1 and 38 hours at Key Stage 2. Fifty three lessons or parts of lessons were observed as were a number of registration periods, assemblies, playtimes, lunchtimes and extracurricular activities;

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In addition, a further 17 hours 30 minutes were spent on the inspection activities listed below.

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• . discussions were held with all teaching staff and some non-teaching staff; • . many pupils were heard to read and were tested on their mathematical knowledge and understanding; • . three samples of pupils’ work across the full range of ability in all year groups were inspected in addition to work examined during lessons; • . all available school documentation was analysed; • . attendance records, pupils’ records kept by the school and teachers’ planning documents were examined; • . the budget figures were inspected; • .discussions were held with pupils, parents and governors; • .a parents’ meeting was held and the views of the 25 parents at this meeting and those of the 61 families who responded to a questionnaire were taken into account.

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· Pupil data Number of pupils on roll (full-time equivalent) Number of pupils with statements of SEN Number of pupils on school’s register of SEN Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals

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YR – Y6 202 0 73 21 Nursery Unit/School 13 0 0 0

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· Qualified teachers (YR – Y6) Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent): 8 Number of pupils per qualified teacher: 25 Belswains Primary School -46 · Education support staff (YR – Y6) Total number of education support staff: 6 Total aggregate hours worked each week: 50.5 · Qualified teachers (Nursery school, classes or unit) Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent): Number of pupils per qualified teacher: 13

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· Education support staff (Nursery school, classes or unit) Total number of education support staff: 2 Total aggregate hours worked each week: 16

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£ Total Income 366928 Total Expenditure 376851 Expenditure per pupil 1712.96 Balance brought forward from previous year 24666 Balance carried forward to next year 14743 Belswains Primary School -47 · PARENTAL SURVEY

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Number of questionnaires sent out: 202 Number of questionnaires returned: 61

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Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

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Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school 36 44 18 2 0

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I would find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with my child(ren) 38 43 18 0 2

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The school handles complaints from parents well 31 43 21 3 2

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The school gives me a clear understanding of what is taught 30 49 18 3 0

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The school keeps me well informed about my child(ren)’s progress 33 44 21 2 0

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The school enables my child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work 26 51 20 2 2

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The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons 28 49 21 2 0

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I am satisfied with the work that my child(ren) is/are expected to do at home 26 41 21 8 3

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The school’s values and attitudes have a positive effect on my child(ren) 30 46 21 3 0

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The school achieves high standards of good behaviour 30 49 18 3 0

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My child(ren) like(s) school 33 49 16 2 0

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